Successor of ‘sewer socialists’ is ‘pothole populist’ NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked New York City’s 200,000th pothole repair of the year Thursday, joining Department of Transportation crews on Troutman Street in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood.

Mamdani helped repair the pothole alongside DOT workers and Ra-mel, a 311 employee who handles pothole complaints and helps direct reports to city crews for repairs.

The milestone came about five months after Mamdani helped fill the city’s 100,000th pothole of the year on Staten Island in early April. City officials said that represented the most potholes repaired during the first 100 days of a year in more than a decade.

Although DOT crews spend much of the summer milling and repaving streets, which can prevent potholes from developing during colder weather, roadway crews have continued repairing an average of about 3,000 potholes each week.

DOT said it has paved 757 lane miles of streets across the five boroughs so far this year — roughly the distance from New York City to Nashville, Tennessee.

Mamdani describes “pothole politics” as his modern version of historical “sewer socialism,” focusing on fast fixes for everyday municipal issues to build public trust in government.

Sewer socialism was a practical political movement centered on improving public infrastructure, keeping cities clean, and providing efficient government services.

In 1932, Socialist Party of America founder Morris Hillquit came up with the term as a jab at Milwaukee socialists who were always boasting about their modern sewer systems.

Socialists proudly adopted the label, treating it as a badge of honor that showed municipal governments could successfully manage public works, sanitation, and utilities.

The sewer socialists worked to tackle what they viewed as “the dirty and polluted legacy of the Industrial Revolution,” revitalizing neighborhoods and factories with modern sanitation systems, publicly owned water and power services, and better education.

“It’s the little things that say a lot about whether government is delivering for New Yorkers. Fixing the broken water fountain at the playground our kids love, upgrading the catch basin on the corner that always floods and, of course, making a bumpy road smooth again,” Mamdani said.

“Today, we are marking 200,000 pothole repairs — a testament to the dedicated city workers who show up every day to solve New Yorkers’ problems and get the job done,” he added. “That is what public service should look like.”

DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said crews continued repairing potholes after what he described as a “brutal winter,” even as the department shifted much of its roadwork toward repaving.

“No challenge is too big or too small, and that’s why we were proud to repair 100,000 potholes in the first 100 days of the Mamdani administration,” Flynn said. “But after a brutal winter, the work has continued.”

Flynn said the city has now reached 200,000 pothole repairs since Jan. 1.

“We are winning the war on potholes and delivering the safe, well-maintained streets New Yorkers deserve,” Flynn said. “Thanks to the mayor’s investment in repaving, New Yorkers should expect smoother roads ahead.”

Lisa Gelobter, the city’s chief technology officer and commissioner of the Office of Technology and Innovation, highlighted the role of 311 in identifying problems that require city attention.

“Tech isn’t an abstract idea,” Gelobter said. “It’s about solving everyday problems for city residents and those visiting our city. 311 is the city’s digital engine that turns neighborhood feedback into action, and OTI is proud to support this work by ensuring 311 continues to provide top-notch service for every New Yorker and visitor.”

NYC311 connects residents with nonemergency services provided by more than 200 city agencies and nonprofit organizations. The service operates around the clock and provides assistance in as many as 175 languages.

The system handles about 100,000 contacts a day through telephone calls, text messages, its website, the 311 app and social media channels.