Mamdani’s agenda to be embraced by increasingly woke City Council as progressive members surge

Get ready for a leftist lovefest between NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and the City Council.

Unlike outgoing Mayor Adams — a centrist Dem who immediately clashed with the Council upon arriving at City Hall in 2022 — the radical socialist should find a much more receptive audience when he takes office in January.

Democrats will hold 46 of the Council’s 51 seats, including nine new members — all Dems.

The far-left Progressive Caucus is expected to get four new members, bringing its total to a powerful 21, sources told The Post.

That’s just five short of the majority needed to guarantee any Mamdani-backed bill passes.

Other Dems in most cases would likely step up to deliver remaining votes to cross the finish line, several pols and operatives said.

Some Mamdani efforts — including his planned $1 billion Department of Community Safety that would have civilians instead of cops deal with the mentally ill — “might run into issues with some Democrats,” a Dem council source said.

“But if he’s moving ahead with other programs he’s proposed like universal child care, I’m sure he’ll have overwhelming support,” the source added.

Harvey Epstein (D-Manhattan), Elsie Encarnacion (D-Manhattan/Bronx), Justin Sanchez (D-Bronx) and Ty Hankerson (D-Queens) are the newly elected Council members expected to join the caucus, while Kayla Santosuosso, a Dem who’ll represent a “purple district” in southern Brooklyn, is considering it, sources said.

Meanwhile, Mamdani ally and woke caucus member Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) is neck and neck in the race to become the next speaker with Julie Menin, a moderate Manhattan Democrat representing the Upper East Side.

Here’s the latest on NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani

Menin is heavily backed by unions and party leaders in Queens, The Bronx and much of her home borough.

She was the clear frontrunner heading into the annual SOMOS political retreat in Puerto Rico this weekend, as she unofficially had the 26 votes lined up to win the race, with Hudson having 15 and 10 others undecided, according to multiple sources.

Hudson — who appears to have much of the Brooklyn delegation’s support — also has huge wild cards in her favor: Mamdani and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn).

“Crystal comes with Hakeem’s support, and Mamdani wants her to be the next speaker,” said a top Democratic operative.

Mamdani has yet to get involved in the race, and sources said it’s unclear if he will.

Such a move backfired for Adams. He failed months after being elected mayor in 2021 trying to drum up support for Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Queens) to become the next speaker.

Instead, his meddling led to underdog Adrienne Adams, no relation to the mayor, securing the post and then spending much of the next four years fighting with the administration on plenty of policy issues.

Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who is backing Menin in the race, said the legislative body is “heading into uncharted waters.”

“I’m hoping we land with a moderate speaker, but if we end up with a radical who’s in lockstep with Mamdani, this Council could turn into little more than a rubber stamp organization for the far-left agenda,” she said.

Menin already has a history of working well with far lefties: she ran multiple city agencies under ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Unlike Hudson, who campaigned for Mandani, Menin didn’t endorse a candidate in this year’s mayoral race.

“In the midst of an affordability crisis and Donald Trump coming for New York, the mayor and speaker must work together to create a more affordable city — one where child care is free, rent affordable, and our neighborhoods safe,” she said.

“I look forward to working with the mayor-elect, along with the council as an independent body, to enact these important policies.”