Manhattan: As a lifelong New Yorker, I’ve never written a letter before, but because I love this city so much, I feel compelled to. I’ve watched our city rise and fall under mayors like Ed Koch, who restored fiscal stability and pride in the city after the 1970s crisis; Rudy Giuliani, who brought crime down dramatically in the 1990s and helped make New York’s streets safer; and Mike Bloomberg, who rebuilt the city’s economy and public safety after 9/11. Each succeeded because they combined practical management, fiscal discipline and visible accountability. That’s the balance New York needs now.

Zohran Mamdani’s ideas are compassionate, but large-scale social programs take time, careful planning and money. New York City’s adopted budget for Fiscal Year 2025 is about $112.4 billion, and city-funded spending has increased roughly 40% over the past decade, outpacing inflation. Promises of immediate transformation for 8.5 million people risk ballooning the budget, mismanagement, and higher taxes, potentially driving residents and businesses away. Compassion without accountability isn’t progress, it’s chaos. New Yorkers need leadership that restores safety, order, and competence first, then carefully expands programs in ways the city can manage sustainably. Real empathy means protecting law-abiding residents, keeping streets and subways safe, being fiscally responsible and delivering services that work.

We can care for the vulnerable and maintain a livable, thriving city, but that requires practical, results-driven leadership, not idealistic experiments that can ultimately hurt the city. Before you vote for Andrew Cuomo or Curtis Sliwa or Mamdani, think hard about what is realistically achievable. You can’t make this city work by choosing programs that sound good on paper but are impossible to implement effectively. Think hard before you pull the lever today. K.S. Fleming

Madisonville, Pa.: A word about the election for mayor. Any mayor anywhere does not rule alone. There is a City Council that can propose and pass legislation. A mayor can suggest or veto, but they can’t rule by fiat unless allowed to by the council. All the screaming and yelling........

© NY Daily News