June 2, 2026 NEW YORK, NY New York City politics has a funny way of giving politicians sudden, unexplained amnesia the second they step into power.

Right now, a high-stakes game of political hot potato is happening at City Hall over one of the city's most iconic landmarks—and the silence from the Mayor’s office is absolutely deafening.

During the fierce battle for City Hall last year, then-candidate Zohran Mamdani made a bold, progressive promise to the LGBTQ+ community: he would support legislation to strip former Mayor Ed Koch’s name off the Queensboro Bridge.

But now that he’s sitting in the mayor's chair? Crickets.

The Secret Questionnaire That Started It All

To understand how we got here, you have to look back at the 2025 campaign trail. Desperate for the backing of the influential Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, several top-tier candidates signed their names to a political questionnaire.

The club’s mission was clear: remove Koch’s name from the 3,725-foot span because of his widely criticized, slow response to the devastating 1980s AIDS crisis, which ravaged New York’s LGBTQ+ community.

When asked point-blank on the April 2024 form if he supported the renaming, Mamdani wrote:

“Yes, I support renaming.”

Fast forward to today. Following recent reports exposing the questionnaire, Mayor Mamdani’s office has refused to answer whether he still stands by his word. It’s a classic political disappearing act.

The Great City Hall Flip-Flop

Mamdani isn't the only one suddenly suffering from buyer's remorse. City Council Speaker Julie Menin—whose Upper East Side district literally touches the bridge—has executed a flawless political U-turn.

Despite signaling her support to revert the crossing back to its original "59th Street Bridge" name last year, her spokesperson recently confirmed a total change of heart.

“She does not and wouldn’t support legislation to do so,” the spokesperson stated, revealing that Menin even declined to cosponsor a recent bill aiming to do just that.

When pressed on TV about her sudden shift, Menin offered a masterclass in political maneuvering: “My personal view of this is that I don’t think we should be naming bridges. But I don’t think we should do legislation to rename it.” ---

A Controversial Legacy Suspended Over the East River

The 115-year-old bridge, which funnels nearly 130,000 vehicles, 7,600 cyclists, and 2,800 pedestrians between Manhattan and Queens every single day, has always had an identity crisis.

Official Name: Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridge (Renamed in 2011)
What locals actually call it: The Queensboro Bridge / The 59th Street Bridge

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially slapped Koch’s name on the bridge in 2011, just two years before the brash, "How’m I doin’?" mayor passed away. While Koch is credited with rescuing NYC from the brink of financial ruin in the 1970s, his legacy remains deeply stained for many by the thousands of lives lost during the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Other heavy hitters who noted their support for the renaming included Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Mark Levine. Yet, despite all the campaign-trail bravado, the political appetite to actually touch this third rail of NYC infrastructure seems to have completely evaporated.

As Jim Owles Club President Allen Roskoff put it, the questionnaire was meant to see "who shows empathy for those who died and their loved ones."

Right now, New Yorkers are left wondering if that empathy was real—or if it was just another tool used to buy votes.