Mayor Mamdani held a press conference at the Far Rockaway Beach 41st Street Nicha houses (0:24) to announce a $38.4 million investment (6:03) to install heat pumps in all 712 units at Beach 41st Street Houses. This initiative aims to provide reliable heating and cooling, lower utility costs, and reduce carbon emissions (6:50).
Key points from the press conference:
- Cold Spell Impact (1:05): The mayor addressed a 13-day cold spell, reporting 17 deaths, with hypothermia as a contributing factor in 13 cases (1:53). The city has opened a new safe haven site (1:41) and emphasized the continued danger of the weather, with temperatures expected to drop to 5°F and wind chills as low as -10°F (2:40).
- Frozen Harbor & Fuel (4:25): The frozen harbor has blocked ships carrying essential fuel, causing energy prices to skyrocket (4:25). This highlights the need for a clean heat future to tackle affordability and climate concerns (4:51).
- Heat Pump Benefits (6:46): Heat pumps offer efficient and effective heating and cooling, significantly lowering utility costs (6:58). A pilot program at Woodside Houses demonstrated over 87% energy savings (7:21) and gave residents control over their home temperatures (7:36).
- Clean Heat for All Program (7:53): The city expects this program to reach over 10,000 New York City apartments by 2030 (7:55). On average, households switching from fossil fuels to heat pumps can save between $370 and $1,000 per year (8:06).
- Addressing Aging Infrastructure (10:09): The investment aims to replace outdated steam heating systems that have passed their useful life (10:07). This project is a microcosm of necessary investments in public housing across the city, especially after decades of federal disinvestment (9:43).
- Environmental Impact (13:07): Converting heating and hot water systems from fossil fuels to electric heat pumps will reduce energy use by about 75% and eliminate 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, equivalent to removing 860 cars from the road (13:07).
- Community Impact and Future (14:12): The initiative will also support communities by providing green-collar jobs and job training for residents (14:12). The goal is to prepare buildings and residents for a successful and sustainable future (14:25). The heat pump installation will take about two years, with the immediate steam leak fix happening concurrently (25:54).
- Government Accountability (27:21): The mayor emphasized that actions, not just words, are needed to prove to New Yorkers that the government is committed to addressing their needs. The focus is on delivering tangible improvements that residents can feel in their homes every day (27:59).
Here are all the questions asked in the video, along with their answers:
- Question: What’s the order of things? Does the leak get fixed first and then the installation of the pumps, and when does that happen? (25:45)
- Answer: The video states that the immediate issue, the leak, will be fixed first, and then the heat pump installation will commence. The installation will take about two years, starting soon this fiscal year, while the steam leak fix is happening immediately. (25:54 – 26:16)
- Question: What do you say to Nitra residents about this sort of new era your administration is trying to usher in? (26:41)
- Answer: The mayor acknowledges the frustration of NICHA residents due to past disappointments and the historical neglect of overlooked communities. He states that it is not for him to tell New Yorkers to believe, but rather to prove through actions that belief is worthwhile, emphasizing that his administration is committed to delivering tangible work and continued action (26:45 – 27:59).
- Question: Favorite Bible verse? (28:01)
- Answer: The mayor humorously declines to pick a favorite Bible verse in that setting, but acknowledges the reference to “works” (28:04 – 28:07).
- Question: I was wondering if there would be backup heat and cooling sources alongside the installation of heat pumps. (28:16)
- Answer: The Chief Climate Officer, Louise Young, states that heat pumps are very reliable when well-maintained and that the pilot at Woodside Houses showed no issues performing in cold weather. She notes that the lifespan of heat pumps is about 20 years and that backup power was not needed at Woodside Houses during the cold snap, indicating no backup sources are planned (28:31 – 28:55).
- Question: Have you been happy with how NICHA and your government has responded to any complaints of heat being out, especially during this cold snap? And are you bringing additional resources to bear to get people out of the cold? You were at a new shelter you mentioned yesterday. So, you’ve announced some new policy. Are you doing anything different as it gets arguably worse? (29:02 – 29:26)
- Answer: The mayor states that the city continues to explore every avenue to keep New Yorkers warm, including addressing heat outages at NICHA and other properties, providing warming buses and centers, and ensuring safe haven sites and shelters are available. Outreach teams are also connecting homeless New Yorkers with these resources. He highlights the appreciation for the team’s urgency and the partnership with the Red Cross (29:27 – 30:37).
- Question: Are you seeing enough urgency from 311? There have been a number of reporters, including myself, that have, you know, done what you’ve asked, that have called 311 and found ourselves in a malaise of trying to get to 911 and a slow response. Have you followed up at all with 311 and told them, “Hey guys, this is more urgent.” (30:37 – 30:55)
- Answer: The mayor states that they are “continuing to follow up to make sure that these are the operations that are operating at the best possible level” because the cold front is not leaving and is among the coldest weather the city has ever had, requiring a high level of response (30:56 – 31:16).
- Question: Is this going to be a policy that the NYPD releases body cam video so quickly or just the ones the NYPD thinks may absolve the officers? And then I wanted to ask about the um if you could tell us what you envision your department of community safety would have done in a situation like this and we can expect details on what look like. (31:22 – 31:41)
- Answer: The mayor states that they are in the process of developing a policy for transparency so New Yorkers know what to expect regarding body cam video releases. Regarding the Department of Community Safety, its “north star” is safety for all involved (affected individual, family, police officers, city personnel). They are exploring every avenue to create this department, including legislative efforts, and will share updated timelines as they become available (31:43 – 32:43).
- Question: Outdoor dining for a colleague of mine who wants to know about outdoor dining. Do you support it? (32:44 – 32:47)
- Answer: The mayor explicitly states, “Yeah, I do support outdoor dining year round” (32:49 – 32:50).
- Question: Any updates on when that might resume? We know you can’t control the weather, but concerns for when that might come back and what it means for those workers. (33:24 – 33:31)
- Answer: The mayor states that ferry service resumption is dependent on the weather, as the city is experiencing unusually cold temperatures following snowfall. He emphasizes the importance of all transit modes and that the city wants to expedite transit avenues while ensuring safety (34:18 – 34:38).
- Question: How does it feel to be subject to that type of misinformation, but then more from a policy standpoint, how alert is the city to the dissemination of this kind of AI-generated misinformation when it comes to city services, public health elections. (34:59 – 35:16)
- Answer: The mayor states that it is “incredibly difficult to see images that you know to be fake that are patently photoshopped and AI generated and yet can reach across the entirety of the world in an era of misinformation.” From a policy standpoint, he mentions having conversations about AI in schools and notes the governor’s proposal regarding AI and elections. He stresses the need for a regulatory system for AI because the current system is “ill-equipped for the speed and the reach of the technologies in front of us” (35:19 – 36:24).
- Question: Could you step back a second, talk a little bit about your vision for Nicha, particularly for the fact that there’s an $80 billion deficit that has led to these types of that have been going on in this development for years. (39:53 – 40:04)
- Answer: The mayor acknowledges the “immense federal responsibility” for NICHA’s $80 billion in capital needs but states that the city cannot wait for federal assistance. His vision involves confronting the issues themselves through transparency (e.g., clear timelines for residents) and making investments that serve multiple purposes, such as the heat pumps which save money, positively impact climate, and improve quality of life. He also highlights looking at public-private partnerships, referencing NICHA’s past innovation in creating the mini-fridge (37:07 – 39:25).
- Question: You plan to double the capital budget as you promised during your campaign. (39:27 – 39:29)
- Answer: The mayor confirms, “We continue to be committed to increasing the city’s preservation capital commitments and that’s going to be the focus of the budgets, the ones that are upcoming and the ones that follow” (41:37 – 41:45).
- Question: I’m wondering if what outlet are you reading? I wonder if you could talk about your plans for job growth. (39:40 – 39:46)
- Answer: The mayor emphasizes generating prosperity that reaches every New Yorker, acknowledging that one in four New Yorkers live in poverty despite the city’s wealth. He states that the EDC (Economic Development Corporation) is critical for generating this prosperity and will lead on economic development under his administration, aiming to make it something “working-class New Yorkers can live and breathe” (40:06 – 41:32).
- Question: On the on the chakra shooting that the NYPD released video on, one, is this going to be a policy that the NYPD releases body cam video so quickly or just the ones the NYPD thinks may absolve the officers? And then I wanted to ask about the um if you could tell us what you envision your department of community safety would have done in a situation like this and we can expect details on what look like. (41:51 – 42:02)
- Answer: The mayor states that his focus is on a mental health system that burdens police officers with being the sole responders to such crises. He emphasizes that the city’s focus must be on safety for all involved (affected individual, family, officers, personnel). He explicitly states that the individual in question, Jabis Chakraorti, who has schizophrenia, needs “mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution by a district attorney” (42:04 – 43:07).
Beach 41st Street Houses Community Center 4-26 Beach 40th St Far Rockaway February 4, 2026
