The year was jam-packed with seismic shifts in New York’s political landscape, most notably when Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani went from relative unknown to Mayor-elect over the past 12 months. But with President Donald Trump taking office for a second term in January and the city implementing a number of divisive programs throughout the year, there were plenty of other stories on the radar of QNS readers throughout 2025.
QNS is taking a look back at the events that unfolded this year in politics in Queens. Here are some of the top political stories of 2025.
Common Sense Caucus pushes back on NYC’s mandatory composting law, call for voluntary participation
The City Council’s “Common Sense Caucus,” co-chaired by Queens Council Members Robert Holden and Joann Ariola, pushed back strongly against the city’s efforts to implement its mandatory composting program.
The program officially went into effect in October 2024, but until this April, residents were given a grace period during which they were only warned about non-compliance.
Starting on April 1, New York City’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) began enforcing the mandate, imposing fines on residents who fail to separate food waste from regular trash.
In a joint statement, the Common Sense Caucus called on the city to make the program voluntary rather than using punitive measures.
“New Yorkers are already overwhelmed by so many burdensome rules and regulations, and now the city wants to mandate household composting,” the caucus said in a statement.
New York passes bill requiring stores to accept cash payments, protecting unbanked and low-income shoppers
In June, the New York State Legislature passed legislation introduced by Assembly Member Catalina Cruz and State Sen. James Sanders prohibiting food stores and retail establishments from declining cash payments.
The legislation, which aims to make sure that cash remains a valid form of payment in New York State, passed both houses of the state legislature at the end of May. Gov. Kathy Hochul since signed the bill into law in November.
Sanders who represents Queens neighborhoods in South Jamaica and Far Rockaway, said the bill reaffirms that access to the marketplace remains a “fundamental right” and not a “luxury reserved for the digitally connected.”
“Cash is still king for many New Yorkers who live paycheck to paycheck or who simply don’t have access to credit or banking services,” Sanders said in a statement. “No one should be denied a sandwich, a bottle of water, or a loaf of bread because they don’t have a debit card. This bill is about fairness and basic dignity.”
Cruz, who represents Corona, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, meanwhile, said cashless stores “shut out” seniors, immigrants and working-class New Yorkers.
‘We’ll stand up for all New Yorkers’: Mayor addresses ICE raids and Roosevelt Ave transformation at Corona town hall
Days after Trump’s second inauguration, Mayor Eric Adams held a town hall in Corona where he told local residents that he hoped to speak to the Trump Administration regarding its immigration agenda.
Adams told local residents that his administration would stand up for all New Yorkers, both documented and undocumented, stating that he plans to speak to the Trump administration about its plans to carry out raids in New York City.
“There’s a lot of anxiety and a lot of uncertainty and the ink is not even dry on these executive orders,” Adams said, referencing a slew of executive orders that Trump signed on his first day in office.
Responding to concerns that his administration would collaborate with ICE by allowing agents to carry out raids in New York schools, Adams said New York residents should continue to go about their daily lives.
City Hall to provide homeowners with automatic rebate checks for NYC Bins
Adams announced in September that the city would provide automatic rebate checks to eligible households to cover the cost of their NYC Bins.
Adams announced on Sept. 18 that the owners of one and two-family homes who receive Basic or Enhanced School Tax Relief (STAR or E-STAR) credits will receive a $59.30 check to cover the cost of their official NYC Bin.
The announcement came after a lengthy stand-off between Adams and the City Council when his Hizzoner initially refused to sign legislation into law even after it passed the City Council with a veto-proof majority earlier in the year.
The law, introduced by Manhattan Council Member Yusef Salaam, was passed unanimously by the City Council with a veto-proof majority in February and would provide hundreds of thousands of specially-secure bins to New Yorkers.
Adams had initially revealed that he would not sign off on the law even after it passed with a veto-proof majority. The Mayor had previously described the law as “fiscally irresponsible.”
However, he reversed course on Aug. 6 and stated that City Hall would now provide the $14.5 million required to fund the program.
Community groups host Jackson Heights rally in support of Airbnb bill that would expand city’s short-term rentals
Community organizations and Queens homeowners gathered at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights in August to rally in support of City Council legislation aiming to expand flexibility for short-term rentals, such as Airbnb, in New York City.
Intro 1107, introduced by Brooklyn Council Member Farah Louis, proposes amendments to the city’s short-term rental policies by allowing the owners of one or two-family homes to rent out their space to up to four adults plus children. The proposed legislation would also eliminate an existing law that requires homeowners to be present while letting out their homes.
Current laws enforced by the city mandate that homes can only be made available on sites such as Airbnb if the host is present during a person’s stay. The bill has not yet come to a vote in the City Council.
Paladino calls for Mamdani’s deportation
Republican Council Member Vickie Paladino provoked significant controversy in June when she called for Mamdani’s deportation. Mamdani, a US citizen since 2018, sharply criticized Paladino over the comments.
Quoting a post from October 2019, Paladino highlighted that Mamdani had stated he was unable to vote in the 2016 presidential election because he was not yet a U.S. citizen. Paladino argued that it is “insane” for someone who has not been a citizen for ten years to seek major public office and went on to call for Mamdani’s deportation.
“Let’s just talk about how insane it is to elect someone to any major office who hasn’t even been a US citizen for ten years, much less a radical leftist who actually hates everything about the country and is here specifically to undermine everything we’ve ever been about. Deport,” Paladino wrote in a post on X.
Mamdani described Paladino’s comments as a reflection of “Donald Trump’s authoritarian administration” and noted that he had received death threats and Islamophobic abuse since launching his mayoral campaign.He said calls for his deportation go beyond inflammatory language.
“This isn’t just hateful rhetoric — it’s a reflection of what happens when Donald Trump’s authoritarian administration is allowed to shove New Yorkers into unmarked vehicles, tear our communities apart and spit in the face of the Constitution,” Mamdani said.
CM Holden seeks immediate cease-and-desist zone for District 30 to prevent exploitation of homeowners
In March, Holden urged the DSNY to designate District 30 a cease-and-desist zone in response to what he described as an overwhelming increase in aggressive real estate solicitations that homeowners have faced since the city passed the “City of Yes.”
The initiative, a wide-reaching zoning reform package aimed at facilitating the development of more housing across New York City, has led to an influx of real estate speculators targeting homeowners, particularly seniors, with persistent and invasive efforts to encourage them to sell their homes, Holden said.
“This is not a hypothetical concern—it is already happening,” said Holden. “Homeowners in my district, particularly seniors, are being bombarded with phone calls, postcards, mailings, and even realtors knocking on their doors trying to pressure them into selling their homes.
