There is a New Mayor in Town - New York City

  With nearly 9 million residents and the world’s largest financial hub, New York City is about to test a progressive economic vision under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Proposals such as free buses, city-owned grocery stores and rent freezes have already rattled Wall Street, prompting sharp criticism from Mamdani’s critics. The clash underscores a widening divide between progressive ambitions for the city and the financial sector that has long powered its economy. -  https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-york-city-about-test-mamdanis-progressive-economic-vision

He also hired a convicted criminal to a board that overseas the police and the city attorney is a  lawyer who defended terrorists.

He also wants to put the responsibility on untrained 911 operators to determine whether to send police or social service workers to calls.  What could go wrong.

He wants to shut down charter schools which is the only successful public school operation.  He also wants to open up the compettive high schools which are the only functional high schools.  

At the start of the 2019-2020 school year, 1,002,200 kids were enrolled in NYC public schools. Today, the total has dipped to 844,400 — a stunning 117,800 drop.

Despite a 20% drop, the number of employees in the schools remains at almost 37,000.

Lets not forget the unemployed Seattle mayor who lives off mommy

Tom my boy, if you disapprove of convicted criminals holding government office, why do you LUVVVV and support Trump?

Oh yeah, it was all a witch hunt 😛😛😛😛😛😛😛

This guy was elected by the local NYC population somewhat resoundingly. So we'll just have to see if the democratic socialist policies he campaigned on are in fact implemented and how much economic and/or cultural instability those attempted policies might cause. Will NYC crime rates skyrocket or go down under his law enforcement approach? He'll need legislative consent to hike taxes on corporations and the wealthy to pay for his programs. NYC has never officially filed for bankruptcy..  . these collective policies could make that happen. He won the vote so let him have the operative rope and see if he can avoid hanging himself with it. That'll prove to be a daunting task imo. 

If any community, city or country, should be governed via "democratic socialism," it's NYC. That's because everyone's fates are intertwined. Population density means that all the good and bad things are magnified. Everything a person does affects hundreds of neighbors. Everything the government does affects millions.

You remark about potential "instability," suggesting that your overall view of this is resoundingly negative, but what about potential stability? A government created and ruling with the firm assent of the people should be both popular and stable. And social democracy is a practice and philosophy directed toward the common good. Combined with utilitarianism, it's an ideal way to manage a complex, populated area. The new mayor seems to believe in both. As you say, let's see how he does.

And I forgot to mention that homeless camps on the streets are now legal. 

And the city which is already facing a multi billion dollar deficit is facing an additional $10b deficit if he enacts his programs.  

Since the $10b is his number the actual number will be much larger

Staten Island is starting the process of seceding and forming their own city. 

No, I surely don't align with his verbalized policies but I don't have any say in NYC and thus I just bitch from afar. The diverse local population that voted for him indeed do and did. Certainly some of his plans include an increase in free perks that on their face might be appealing to factions of the local electorate but it all has to be paid for by somebody /XYZ / Wall Street and affiliate corporations who have always propped up a very significant portion of the NYC area fiscal and financial base via tax revenues. Again, of course the state legislature in Albany will have to approve any NYC tax hikes although routinely both the Senate and House are heavily Democratic. I don't know if those reps are old line  vs new progressive Democrats ( proportionately speaking) nor how they truly align with Mondani ; that difference + peripheral NY Republican influence along with time might determine the outcome and/or approval of his policies. One thing that seems to stand out from the new mayor's approaches are increased taxes on the upper end groups and an enlargement of the freebie state which NY and NYC are already the champions of nationwide. We'll see how it all runs through the political and practical colanders.

Your disdain for what you call "the freebie state" suggests a tired and rather simplistic worldview that was mother's milk to Reaganite conservatives. I'm on the opposite side, in that I think these so-called freebies are not only humane and an element of common decency; they're also fiscally sound policy.

As an example, I would point to health care. We have free healthcare for the lowest rung of society (wealth-wise) but not universally. Other democratic nations with economies similar to ours have much lower healthcare costs AND considerably higher life expectancies. So when MAGA or anyone else moans about the cost of universal health care, they're misguided. They should be realizing the SAVINGS from it.

The same goes for things like food assistance, child care subsidies, public transit, libraries, and the like. They all cost money, but every single cost/benefit analysis ever performed shows that it's very much worth spending.

So that's how to cut the ideological Gordian knot. Compassion is fiscally sound. It's easier AND CHEAPER to give someone the medical care they need now rather than scrape them off the sidewalk later. 

And yes, I know about WASTEFRAUDABUSE BELCHGRUNTSNORT. But I suspect there would be a lot less of it if there was no question about whether people would receive government benefits or not. 

My liberal radical radical liberal belief is that medical care, basic food and shelter, etc. are fundamental human rights--at least in an immensely wealthy nation such as ours.

Oh, and to answer your question about political orientation: they're much more conservative up in Albany than they are in NYC. Many NY legislators view NYC as an immense money sink. Of course, they tend to ignore that it's also an immense money factory.