NYC might give grants to local grocers losing business to Mamdanis city-owned stores: Utterly insane

Clean up on aisle free.A leader of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist grocery store project suggested that the Big Apple could funnel taxpayer money to shop owners losing business to the city-owned supermarkets, which are already projected to cost at least $70 million.The gobsmacking comments from Waverly Neer, senior vice president of groceries at the project-leading Economic Development Corporation, sparked City Hall to furiously attempt to backpedal Thursday after furious backlash.Neer, during an NY1 interview on Wednesday, said that “grants” could be used to support independent businesses alongside city-owned grocery stores, prompting a reporter to ask whether she meant private outlets.“Something on the table,” she said.

“We’re exploring a lot of different options and opportunities.“I think there’s a whole host of levers that the EDC is able to work within to make sure everyone has equitable and equal access to opportunities here.”The prospect of using tax dollars to prop up private grocers hurt by competition from Mamdani’s city-owned supermarkets — a program anticipated to cost $70 million for five stores across the boroughs — prompted many New Yorkers to blow their gaskets.Many carted their rage to X, where an interview clip with Neer was viewed 1.6 million as of Thursday afternoon.“Succinctly: the government spends tax dollars to create an insanely bad problem.

Then, to solve the problem that THEY CREATED, the government spends more tax dollars,” one X user posted.“Utterly insane.”“Socialists always come up with more ways to steal your money to solve problems they created by giving away money they already stole from you,” posted Daniel Di Martino, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute think tank. Some X users wondered why Mamdani would invest millions of dollars into new grocery stores — with $30 million slated to build a shop on an East Harlem vacant lot — instead of directly into hardscrabble shoppers themselves.“...