He Holds the Keys to Mamdani’s Economic Vision
Anthony Shorris, the new president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, believes that his agency can help realize the mayor’s goal of making the city more affordable.
One week into Anthony Shorris’s tenure as president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, he said he has come to a simple conclusion. If Mayor Zohran Mamdani is going to solve the city’s food affordability problem, he will have to go beyond his plan for five city-owned grocery stores.
“I think groceries was a symbol for the larger issue, food affordability, which is broad and important,” Mr. Shorris said during a nearly hourlong interview.
“I also want to be clear about a couple of things on food — I don’t think the only intervention in food is grocery stores,” Mr. Shorris also said.
Mr. Shorris, whose long career in public service began under the Koch administration, has been charged with delivering Mr. Mamdani’s economic development agenda, one that prizes affordability and that his administration has said should focus on quality, not just quantity, of jobs.
Few would dispute that food affordability remains a serious issue in New York City. A recent report found that more than 40 percent of families with children in the city said they needed more money to meet their food needs.