Losing the Battle—but Winning the War

Hi all—I’m back!

Many of you were along for the ride of my State Assembly campaign, and I’m deeply grateful for every one of you who knocked doors, donated hard-earned dollars, or spread our message on social media and on the district’s streets.

The outcome wasn’t what we wanted—stay tuned for more reflections on this year’s election cycle coming soon!—but the silver lining of not going to Albany is getting to be back at Abundance HQ with Catherine, the team, and all of you on the Substack.

This week is a particularly auspicious one to be returning, because it’s demonstrating that even when we come up short at the ballot box our ideas are going the distance.

Here are three strong signals of our success we’re excited to share:

“Socialism or Centrism Next?: New York Should Follow the Leaders”

This Sunday’s Daily News featured a centerfold op-ed from me. I wrote that much of New York’s recent political conversation has been about jockeying between electoral “lanes”: after many DSA wins last month, the far left is ascendant and the center is scrambling. But that dynamic misses the point that “across lanes, more leaders are driving in an Abundance direction.”

In particular, both Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul have been at their most effective when governing on an Abundance Agenda:

They’ve joined together to reform outdated environmental reviews, defend congestion pricing, and lay the groundwork for universal childcare. Hochul is speeding public sector hiring to provide government services more effectively, while Mamdani is slashing red tape for small businesses to help working people thrive… Zoning and permitting reforms have led to record new home construction. Congestion pricing is saving lives. The mayor’s COGE charter revision agenda is straight from the Abundance playbook.

While pundits focus on factional fighting within the Democratic Party, we’ll be focused on ensuring that Mamdani and Hochul keep driving in an Abundance direction—and that their ideological fellow travelers follow their lead.

Catherine on the Crain’s “40 Under 40”

As we see our ideas winning at the city and state level, across legislative and executive action, it’s also energizing to see our leadership honored. This week, Catherine was featured on the Crain’s “40 Under 40” list alongside such New York luminaries as Mayor Zohran Mamdani—not to mention Abundance champions, partners, and community members like Council Member Chi Ossé, Emma Pfohman, Varun Sanyal, and Russell Murphy.

In the interview, Catherine charts her path from studying Russian literature and singing light opera to international development and impact investing before feeling called to politics—and particularly local politics. Catherine has always been motivated by maximizing her impact, and, as you all know, right now there are few more impactful fights than the one to make blue city and state governance work.

Community Board Leadership Training

The battle for a fairer, freer, more flourishing New York doesn’t just happen at the ballot box or in the halls of the State Legislature or City Council. It also unfolds across the city’s 59 Community Boards, where fewer than 3,000 appointed members speak for “the community” of nearly nine million New Yorkers—advising on land use, budget, and policy questions. We’re proud to have over 100 members of our community on CBs, and last week we were thrilled to bring many of them together for our first event just for them.

Tal Roded—who we helped apply for CB3 in Manhattan—presented alongside CB7 Manhattan vet Tibita Kaneene. Together, they shared insights on how to navigate Board dynamics, build coalitions, and become trusted leaders amongst colleagues. Beyond best practices, it was wonderful to build community across boroughs and Boards. For more, read Samir Thanedar’s reflections on helping plan the event and Tal’s ideas for better-run CB meetings.

Are you a CB member who isn’t yet looped into our Abundance CB Member programming? Reply to this, and we’ll add you!