NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the Roosevelt Island FDR 4 Freedoms State Park last August 11 to be interviewed by the PBS WNET Channel 13 Open Mind program.
Here’s a brief portion of the interview.
According to the Channel 13 You Tube Channel:
New York City Mayor Zohran K. Mamdani and Alexander Heffner, host of “The Open Mind,” sit down at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park to discuss civic life, economic rights, and the city’s affordability crisis. Mayor Mamdani addresses food insecurity in the world’s wealthiest city — where 1 in 4 Black New Yorkers face hunger — and outlines concrete solutions, including plans for city-run grocery stores, free 2K and 3K childcare, and tax policy reforms. As Heffner draws parallels between FDR’s safety net and today’s economic pressures, Mamdani explains why success must be continuously replicated, how his administration measures progress through tangible results, and why working-class families must be “priced in” rather than pushed out of New York City.
“Mayors of the World” is a special 70th anniversary series from “The Open Mind” exploring democracy and public policy with leaders around the globe, from Athens, Greece to Santiago, Chile to Toronto and Atlanta.
The Open Mind You Tube Channel adds:
At Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, host Alexander Heffner interviews Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. In the ongoing special “Mayors of the World,” Mayor Mamdani and Heffner discuss the civic and cultural life of New York, his administration’s major initiatives, the legacy of FDR and future of the Democratic Party, and what the cost of rent — and a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese — should be.
Here’s the full Open Mind interview with Mayor Mamdani at the Roosevelt Island FDR 4 Freedoms Park.
4 Freedoms Park Conservancy Chief Operating Officer Howard Axel commented on Mayor Mamdani’s visit:
Over the last ten years, the FDR 4 Freedoms State Park has become an internationally recognized sacred public space… not made sacred by Kahn. made sacred by the close to 3 million visitors who have come and read the Four Freedoms speech.
The FDR 4 Freedoms State Park is truly a place for anyone and everyone to think about freedom, freedom of agency. I hope the Mayor comes often. The Conservancy will be there to welcome him.”
During his Mayoral campaign, Zohran Mamdani held a September 22, 2025 press conference on Roosevelt Island near the FDR Park and I asked him:
As an Astoria resident, have you been to Roosevelt Island often?
Mr Mamdani replied:
Many a time. It has been a place where I have found time for a walk, time for a bike ride, and also time to tap into the history of the City. One that we often forget as it actually charts out what’s possible here.