An Open Letter to Zohran Mamdani: Why Are You Ignoring NYC Retirees?
Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters at Bryant Park on June 14.
Editor’s Note: Marianne Pizzitola is a retired EMS worker and president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees.
Dear Zohran,
You speak often about fighting hate, combatting racism, Islamophobia, and injustice, and I respect that. But I must ask: do our values not extend to older New Yorkers?
Our organization represents more than 250,000 Medicare eligible retired city workers; the teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses, and public servants who kept New York running through every crisis. The same civil servants who you will need to trust you if you are elected and wish to execute your plans for safety, education and development. You have heard our concerns and our request that you include retirees in your vision for the city.
When I have respectfully replied to your posts about the silence toward older New Yorkers, your own followers have attacked me with cruel ageism:
“Literally no one cares.”
“Shut up, you stupid woman.”
“I’m not the one making incoherent statements, Grandma.”
“Stupid 9/11 is over.”
“Don’t you have a shuffleboard game to go to?”
These comments aren’t just offensive, they reveal a troubling double standard. You condemn hate when it’s directed at you, but when it’s aimed at seniors, you say nothing.
Your silence sends a message that this behavior is acceptable.
Instead you could explain that older New Yorkers didn’t cause the challenges young people face today. Are you scared of losing a vote from a vocal young supporter? We have our own struggles with healthcare, housing, and protecting the benefits we earned after decades of service. We deserve respect and a voice in shaping the policies that affect our lives.
If you want to be mayor for all New Yorkers, that must include the elderly and disabled. Dismissing us, or allowing your supporters to demean us, is not progress it’s prejudice.
Leadership means practicing what you preach. It means listening to every community, not just the ones that fit neatly into your social media narrative.
So, I ask you directly:
Why are you not engaging with the largest retiree organization in New York State?
Why are you silent when your supporters spew hate and ageism toward older people?
How can we believe in your message of compassion if it excludes the very people who built this city?
Zohran, you may soon have the platform to unite generations. Please use it not to divide, but to listen, to learn, and to lead with empathy. So far we have seen no inclusive proof. Andrew Cuomo is in the lead on this one.
Respectfully,
Marianne Pizzitola
President, NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees
