Will Mamdani only offer four years of Potemkin socialism like his grocery fiasco?

Zohran Mamdani’s “city-run groceries” gambit was always mostly symbolic — even he doesn’t pretend one-store-per-borough will be more than proof of concept — but it’s fast becoming a symbol and sign of how hollow his whole mayoralty could prove.Last week he at long last unveiled the plan for the first store: He says it will cost $30 million and take nearly three years to build.That’s 40% of what the mayor had said five groceries would cost — and many times what the private sector spends to build a grocery store in just a few months.As Anthony Pena, president of the National Supermarket Association, told The Post: “Even a high end, gourmet store in the middle of Manhattan wouldn’t cost that much to build.”(It’ll get worse, too: New York public projects never cost less or finish faster than the initial estimate — they’re almost always over-budget and long-delayed: Don’t bet the store opens before Mamdani’s running for re-election in 2029.)Worse yet, Mamdani’s already tossed the main point of the exercise — offering food at affordable prices — into the dumpster: Only a core basket of goods will be particularly cheap.Actually, two main points: Rather than boost food access in under-served areas, this stores going up in a ’hood with at least five others.A “Potemkin village” is a fake-front display slapped over a grim reality; the grocery debacle suggests Mamdani is offering his fans Potemkin socialism.That is: “Achievements” posed for TikTok or Instagram so the mayor can wow his affluent, transplant-heavy voter base — while completely failing to make good on his inaugural-speech vow to deliver “safety, affordability, and abundance.”It’s already a pattern: Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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