Every mayor says he loves New York. It’s practically part of the oath of office. But there’s a difference between loving a city and being in love with one, and if you read what Ed Koch said versus what Zohran Mamdani has been writing and posting since taking office, you can hear it.

Koch loved New York the way you love a rowdy, difficult relative — fiercely, loyally, elbows out. “I love this country, and I love this city,” he said in 1993, and he meant it. But Koch’s love came wrapped in swagger. He bragged about balancing budgets. He called developers “piggy” and successors “nasty men.” His tombstone doesn’t say he adored the city — it says he “fiercely” defended it. That’s the love of a man protecting turf, not writing poetry.

Mamdani writes poetry about it. Literally. On Sept. 5, he posted these words to more than a........

© NY Daily News