As New York City braces for what the National Weather Service has identified as the first blizzard in nearly a decade, far-left Mayor Zohran Mamdani is once again urging residents to fill gaps left by the city’s snow response, this time by signing up en masse as emergency shovelers — but there’s a catch.
In a Saturday press conference ahead of the storm, Mamdani encouraged New Yorkers to report directly to city sanitation garages to help dig the city out after officials reportedly failed to recruit enough emergency workers during the last major snowfall. Volunteers, however, must provide proper documentation.
“And for those who want to do more to help your neighbors and earn some extra cash, you too can become an Emergency Snow Shoveler,” Mamdani said in his announcement. “Just show up to your local Sanitation Garage between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. tomorrow with your paperwork.”
The irony has not gone unnoticed. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) New York chapter, of which Mamdani is a member and which enthusiastically endorsed the mayor, has strongly advocated against voter ID requirements in elections. The DSA has even called recent election integrity legislation a “campaign to reverse the gains of the Civil Rights Movement and marginalize working-class Americans” — yet Mamdani’s emergency labor push requires would-be shovelers to arrive with identification and paperwork in hand.
The registration form to shovel snow requires volunteers to provide multiple forms of identification:
Mamdani’s appeal comes after the most recent snow storm exposed shortages in the city’s emergency snow labor force, leaving sidewalks unplowed, streets impassable, and residents, particularly the elderly, struggling to navigate icy conditions. Rather than announcing reforms or improved planning, the city is again leaning on last-minute public mobilization.
Emergency shovelers are hired on a temporary basis by the New York City Department of Sanitation, often with minimal notice, as storms are already underway. The program has long been criticized as reactive, relying on volunteers and short-term workers instead of consistent staffing and preparation.
Blizzard warnings are in effect across the city and much of the region from 6 a.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday, as a powerful nor’easter is forecast to bring snow, high winds, and hazardous conditions to the Northeast. Forecasters said New York City could see in the range of 15 to 24 inches of snow, with some places potentially exceeding that total, and winds gusting above 45 mph — conditions that meet blizzard criteria when combined with reduced visibility and sustained snowfall.
Meteorologists say that snow will begin Sunday morning and continue into Monday afternoon, with peak snowfall and strongest winds overnight. The storm is expected to affect much of the I-95 corridor, from New York through New England, with heavy snow, coastal flooding, and possible travel and power disruptions.
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who has repeatedly called for expanded government control over housing, labor, and public services, framed the recruitment push as an act of neighborly solidarity, even as critics argue it underscores the city’s inability to execute basic municipal functions without scrambling for day-of labor.
City officials have not explained why staffing levels were not increased following the last storm, nor why emergency shovelers must once again be recruited in the immediate run-up to severe weather.
Blizzard conditions are expected to cause near-zero visibility across much of the five boroughs, and Mamdani advised New Yorkers to stay indoors, avoid travel during the height of the storm, and prepare for potentially dangerous conditions.
For now, New Yorkers are being told to grab their paperwork — and a shovel — and report for duty, as City Hall braces for another test of its winter preparedness.
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