New Yorkers deserve a city we can afford. I’d freeze rents for the more than 2 million tenants in rent-stabilized units, bringing an end to Mayor Eric Adams’s rent hikes. At the same time, I’d launch construction on 200,000 union-built, 100 percent affordable homes — fast-tracking public-sector-led developments over the next decade amid zoning and procedural reform to trigger a significant increase in housing supply across the board.

First, build. With a 1 percent vacancy rate, demand is driving up costs, so the only answer is to increase supply. In my first year, I’ll add 50,000 affordable homes by cutting red tape, rezoning land and bringing 25,000 rent-stabilized apartments back online. Second, tax reform. Cap property taxes at 2 percent for struggling homeowners, eliminate income taxes for residents earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, end taxes on tips and raise the real estate transfer tax threshold to $2.5 million to make it easier to purchase a home.

Our Department of Community Safety will address gaps in the social safety net, allowing police officers to focus on violent crimes. We will establish Community Mental Health Navigators to pre-emptively tackle mental health issues through screenings and education, and expand peer clubhouses for those with serious mental illnesses. The clubhouse approach costs $4,000 per member annually, in stark contrast to the annual cost of $500,000 for incarcerating someone at Rikers Island, the city’s largest mental health facility.

Public safety is Job 1. I’ll rebuild the N.Y.P.D. ranks with 5,000 new officers, including 1,500 for subways, using precision policing to target the specific people and places driving most crime. I’ll also invest $100 million in youth jobs and work force programs so young people have real alternatives to gangs and guns. Enforcement plus opportunity is how we make neighborhoods safe again.

Protecting immigrant New Yorkers keeps every one of us safe. I’d not only keep our sanctuary city laws, but strengthen them. We must send a clear, unflinching message to Donald Trump: His efforts to terrorize immigrants have no place in this city.

New York will always be a city of immigrants, that’s our strength and our legacy. I support sanctuary protections because due process is paramount and no one should fear calling the police or seeking medical help. But safety is paramount, and we don’t harbor criminals. If someone is here illegally and convicted of a crime, we would work with the federal authorities. We can, and we must, achieve being both welcoming and safe.

Yes, New York City should keep congestion pricing. New Yorkers deserve safe, fast and reliable transit. Since congestion pricing was enacted, there are 2.7 million fewer cars on the road, crashes are down, buses are faster, ridership is up and even honking has dropped. I’d build on this by further pedestrianizing much of the congestion zone, making it easier and safer to bike around New York City, and ensuring that outdoor dining continues year-round and is approved through a process that is actually navigable for small businesses.

I fought for and passed congestion pricing after decades of failed attempts because our streets were clogged, our air polluted, and the M.T.A. broke. The principle is sound: fewer cars, cleaner air, better transit. But implementation must be fair and not a hindrance to the city’s economic comeback. I’d keep congestion pricing but require ongoing reviews to ensure it achieves its purpose. Smart execution, not ideology. (Mr. Cuomo approved congestion pricing as governor in 2019, then opposed it last year and now says he supports it again.)

If Trump becomes willing to deliver on his campaign message of cheaper groceries, I’d be happy to work with him on that issue. We both agree that New Yorkers’ lives are more expensive than they were four years ago. The difference is that I will actually deliver affordability, while he exploits the cost-of-living crisis for political gain. It’s hard to name just one concern when the current administration is stealing New Yorkers off the street, cutting food stamp benefits and gutting Medicaid. My main concern is how his agenda is driving New Yorkers out of the city they call home.

I’ve known President Trump for decades and fought him many times — as governor during Covid, when he targeted immigrants and when he threatened to send troops into New York City. Each time, I pushed back and won. As mayor, I’ll defend New York from federal overreach and protect our values, while working across the aisle when it benefits New Yorkers. When he’s wrong, I’ll fight; when it helps New Yorkers, I’ll partner. New Yorkers always come first.

Yes. As a Bronx Science alum, I’ve seen both the promise and problems of specialized high schools’ students. These are struggles indicative of the larger fact that our school system is the most segregated in the country. The School Diversity Advisory Group’s recommendations for elementary and middle schools are a clear road map for how our city should tackle that. (The panel recommended ending most selective programs; Mr. Mamdani has in the past expressed concerns about the test.)

Specialized high schools are jewels of our system, with four times more applicants than seats. My plan doubles their number from nine to 18 schools, while keeping admissions rigorous, objective and merit-based. I’ll keep the SHSAT and expand prep programs in underserved neighborhoods so all students have a fair shot.

The previous administration ended the practice of testing kindergarteners for gifted and talented programming, which has been replaced by a new rubric and teacher nomination system under Eric Adams. I will return to the previous policy. Ultimately, my administration would aim to make sure that every child receives a high-quality early education that nurtures their curiosity and learning. (Mamdani’s campaign later confirmed that he would end the gifted program for incoming kindergarteners next fall.)

I would expand gifted and talented programs, not eliminate them. Limiting opportunity to less than 5 percent of students is unfair. The real inequity is access — too many Black and Latino students aren’t identified or supported early enough. My plan invests in universal 3-K, stronger early screening, and more G&T seats across every borough, so talent is nurtured wherever it’s found. Gifted programs should reflect the diversity of our city, and they can, if we give all children the tools to succeed.

Too many New Yorkers can’t afford the rising cost of public transit, and our buses are the slowest in the country. I’d make buses free and fast — transforming a form of public transit that is currently both too expensive and traveling at a speed of eight miles an hour on average. The free bus pilot I passed in Albany has already shown that ridership increases and safety improves when the bus is free. We can scale that up across our city while building the busways and bus lanes that New Yorkers have long been denied.

Mass transit is the lifeblood of the city, and New Yorkers deserve a system that is clean, safe and reliable. To deliver on that fundamental promise, I’ll add 1,500 N.Y.P.D. officers dedicated to the subway, direct resources to ensure cleanliness and expedite long overdue capital construction projects to improve reliability. And I’ll make transit more affordable by expanding Fair Fares to cover the full cost of subways and buses for New Yorkers earning up to 150 percent of the federal poverty line. My plan won’t subsidize the wealthy but will save working families hundreds of dollars each year.

We need to get trash off the sidewalks. Shared on-street containers for recycling and garbage would mean fewer rats, less smells and cleaner blocks. I’d also fix 311 so complaints aren’t being ignored and New Yorkers can actually track their service requests.

New Yorkers deserve clean, safe streets, and right now, we don’t have either. The rat problem is a symptom of incompetence. I’ll launch a real sanitation strategy: more frequent pickups, sealed containers instead of bags on sidewalks and stronger enforcement against illegal dumping. Denial is not a life strategy; clean streets are public health, quality of life and basic respect for New Yorkers.

Child care in New York costs families more than $20,000 a year – that’s pushing parents out of the city and out of the work force, costing us billions. My administration will deliver universal child care for every child from 6 weeks to 5 years old. That means raising wages for child care workers and making it simple for families to find providers close to home. Child care should be what makes it possible to raise a family here, not what makes it impossible.

The “big idea” is what has been missing from City Hall for over a decade: competent, effective government that delivers for the people it serves. Real change comes from day-in, day-out execution: experienced leadership that can deliver change, managerial skill and knowledge that gets results. My priorities are clear: public safety, affordability and opportunity.