New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a vision for his city: free buses, city-owned grocery stores, and cutting through the red tape that inhibits small businesses from getting off the ground. Now, he’s found his new “mom-and-pop czar” to get to work.
In a Tuesday press release, Mamdani announced Delia Awusi as his czar for that department.
“Mom-and-pop businesses help hold neighborhoods together. But as they say, if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. For years, small businesses have been pushed aside while corporate giants enjoyed unfettered access to City Hall. No longer,” Mamdani said in the release.
“With Delia Awusi’s appointment, the smallest businesses will be represented at the highest levels of City government. Delia has spent her career alongside small business owners, understanding their struggles and their power. In this role, she’ll make sure City Hall answers to them, too.”
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Daily Kos reached out to the mayor’s office for additional comment but did not hear back before publication.
But what is the job of a “mom-and-pop czar”? Awusi—who worked with a business outreach center for over a decade—will be helping those smaller businesses in need to jump through all of the bureaucratic hoops, like getting permits and passing inspections.
According to the press release, Awusi’s new role “will focus on helping ultra-small businesses navigate city government and get the support they need not only to stay open, but to grow.”
According to U.S. Census data, there were over 400,000 small businesses in New York in 2023, 80% of those being businesses with less than 10 employees.
These small but mighty enterprises generated nearly $1 trillion in sales and revenue. But the city that never sleeps has seen a lag in growth when it comes to more people getting their ideas off the ground and opening up shop, according to a March report, and Mamdani’s newly appointed czar appears to be a way to mitigate that.
All of this has been a part of Mamdani’s campaign promises. Now, the contagiously smiley mayor has been putting the (oftentimes Islamaphobic) claims from the right to rest that he would send New York to its demise.
In the past few months, Mamdani has appeared at 311 call centers and rejoiced over filling 100,000 pot holes across the city’s streets. He even managed to charm President Donald Trump. But his short time as mayor hasn’t been without challenges.
During the city’s historic February blizzard, Mamdani sent out buses to serve as warming centers for unhoused people facing the deadly temperatures. Despite the noble efforts, a miscommunication left many buses sitting empty overnight while people stayed on the streets.
“I think at the end of the day, that is a responsibility that I have as a mayor,” Mamdani said during an interview on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” in February. “It’s never a moment to pass the buck to anyone else.”
But where Mamdani has been celebrated for his accountability and grace, this past Easter the mayor went viral for how his holiday message juxtaposed with President Donald Trump’s Iran war tirade.
As for the new “mom-and-pop czar,” it’s unclear when Awusi will start, but she will likely hit the ground running.
“Mom-and-pop businesses give every block, every neighborhood, every borough its unique identity. Our smallest businesses have unique needs and now, they have a champion to look out for them in City Hall,” she wrote.
