Mamdani being elected NYC mayor could risk the city of Gotham returning to dark times

As a young reporter at The New York Times, I had the good fortune of working with an experienced political editor named Sheldon Binn.

A wounded veteran of World War II, he explained the simple yardstick he used to judge politicians.

“The only thing I ask is that they don’t make things worse,” I recall him saying.

“That’s the best you can hope for.”

As a wide-eyed idealist, I found his standard shockingly low and cynical.

But these days, Binn’s rule makes more sense to me than ever.

Exhibit A is the New York mayoral race , where the Democrats’ nominee, Zohran Mamdani , is pushing a sweepingly radical agenda.

If voters are foolish enough to elect him Tuesday, his tenure wouldn’t just make things slightly worse.

His policies would inflict major damage in myriad ways, from declinin