NYC’s True Heroes: Small Business Owners vs. Mamdani’s Misguided Robin Hood Act

Opinion~ Lynn Matthews

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Lynn here, founder of WecuMedia, a scrappy outlet that just hit its 1,000th article. From outside New York City, I’m working 90-hour weeks—up at 5:00 a.m., writing past 10:00 p.m.—to keep independent journalism alive. It’s not glamour; it’s grit. I hustle for support, not for clicks, but to fund truth. And my heart aches for New York’s small business owners grinding just as hard, chasing dreams while $4,400 rents choke ambition. Meanwhile, 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, poised to be NYC’s next mayor, casts himself as Robin Hood—taxing the rich to help the poor. But he’s no hero. He’s a threat to the very people who are holding this city together. Their stories need to be told—and fast.

Meet Leidy Cardona, whose Leidylicious Cakes in Queens is a testament to grit. Baking since age nine, she opened her shop in 2023, navigating $3,500 median rents and a maze of permits with help from NYC’s Business Express Service Team (BEST). Leidy’s 80-hour weeks—kneading dough, decorating late into the night—employ locals and sweeten her community. She can’t pack up and move; her customers are Queens’ heart.

In Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant, Alexander Campaz runs Infinite Wave, Inc., a Latino-owned garment factory. When COVID struck, he pivoted to PPE gowns, saving jobs and securing contracts. Through the Empire State Development’s 60-hour Plan for Growth, he mastered marketing despite $3,500 rents and a tight credit market (NFIB Optimism Index: 97.4, March 2025). Alexander’s 80-hour grind keeps Brooklyn stitching, rooted to his local clients.

Maria Flores started Maria Flores Daycare in Washington Heights with $500, driven by her love for kids. Facing $2,800 rents and regulations, she earned a CPR certification and tapped ESD resources for grants. Her daycare supports working parents, a lifeline where childcare rivals rent. Maria’s 80-hour weeks—teaching, nurturing—are her community’s backbone, not a business she can relocate.

Image taken from their Cakes Botique website

Martin and Gaby Miranda turned a cake-decorating class into NYCakes Boutique in Long Island City, opened November 2024. Their Louis Vuitton cakes and Quinceañera masterpieces reflect nine years of hustle amid $4,000 rents. With Queens Chamber of Commerce and NYC Small Business Services (SBS) support, they earned an “A” health grade. Their 80-hour weeks are tied to LIC’s vibrant clientele.

Batista’s Bodega City near Yankee Stadium, opened April 2025, serves nine chopped cheese varieties and ‘90s nostalgia—Fun Dip, a pay phone, a plush cat named Manny. Inspired by his mom’s bodega, he saved for years, using SBS’s hotline (888-SBS-4NYC) for permits. Facing $2,500 Bronx rents and 6.4% unemployment, he’s scaling to Williamsburg, working 80 hours to keep his dream alive for local fans.

These are NYC’s heroes—183,000 small businesses. These aren’t just numbers—they’re families, employers, community staples, employing half the workforce (20% opened since 2022, per NYC data), pouring sweat into dreams that uplift communities. Mamdani, backed by AOC and Bernie Sanders, sees himself as a modern-day Robin Hood, taxing the rich to fix a city where 50% of renters spend over 30% of their $74,000 median income on $4,400 rents, per NYU Furman Center. I get the appeal: if the wealthy paid more, life could be fairer. But it’s a fantasy that hurts the little guy.

In feudal England, Robin Hood stole from corrupt nobles hoarding wealth in a locked system. NYC’s rich—entrepreneurs, professionals—aren’t all villains; they pay 45% of income tax, per 2022 data. Mamdani’s 2% tax on millionaires and 11.5% corporate tax hike could drive 10% of them away, costing $2.2 billion in revenue, as seen in the 2000s exodus (IRS data). The rich can move to Florida; Leidy, Alexander, Maria, the Mirandas, and Batista can’t. Their customers—Queens bakers, Brooklyn workers, Bronx regulars—are right here.

Mamdani’s rent freeze sounds like relief, but could shrink housing supply. San Francisco’s rent control cut rentals 15%, as landlords converted units to condos. NYC’s 3.4% vacancy rate (2023 Housing Survey) and 100,000-unit shortage (Brookings) would worsen, leaving fewer homes for small business employees. His $30 minimum wage could spike labor costs 50%, per NFIB, forcing closures—Batista’s bodega or Maria’s daycare can’t absorb that. City-run grocery stores, another Mamdani plan, could crush small shops, as social media posts warn: “Government stores would bury bodegas.”

My heart aches for these heroes. WecuMedia’s 1000 articles are my 90-hour weeks, my plea for support echoing theirs. Mamdani’s Robin Hood act risks killing the American dream, not saving it. His taxes could shrink NYC’s economy 0.85% ($10 billion), per Tax Foundation, hitting jobs and services. His inexperience—three bills passed as an assemblyman—raises doubts about managing a $115 billion budget, per the New York Times.

NYC needs real solutions: upzoning to add 100,000 housing units yearly (Brookings), cutting red tape (like SBS’s permit help), and tax credits to boost incomes without punishing success. Leidy’s cakes, Alexander’s gowns, Maria’s daycare, the Mirandas’ artistry, Batista’s chopped cheese—these are the American dream. Mamdani’s not their Robin Hood; he’s a villain risking their future.

New Yorkers, wake up. Support these heroes and WecuMedia. Fund our fight at WecuMedia.com to keep telling their stories. Together, we’ll protect the dream that makes NYC shine.