As part of the 2025 Waterfront Conference, Waterfront Alliance and 17 co-sponsors had the privilege of hosting a Five Borough Waterfront Mayoral Forum on May 14, moderated by Samantha Maldonado, Senior Reporter at THE CITY.

In attendance were candidates Brad Lander, Scott Stringer, Jim Walden, and Michael Blake, who were presented with questions both pointed and playful about the current state of the waterfront, and what they envision for its future should they be elected to lead this fair city come November.

Many of the questions pertained to issues directly addressed in the recently released Waterfront and Resilience Plan for the Next Mayor of New York City, as Waterfront Alliance will be engaging with candidates from now through Election Day.

NYC has a staggering 520 miles of waterfront – a significant responsibility for any public official to take on – so it is essential that a would-be Mayor evince a sound strategy to address the myriad issues confronting city shorelines.

Tyler Taba from Waterfront Alliance, and moderator Samantha Maldonado with THE CITY

Resiliency Rhetoric

Given the inevitability of storms increasing in both strength and frequency due to climate change, fortifying our waterfront structures is crucial for the long-term vitality of various essential city resources.

Comptroller Brad Lander came out swinging in his introduction, noting that “our city’s rising sea levels and temperatures are not getting anywhere near enough attention in this race.”

He went on to mention how the need for more affordable housing cannot be met without also reducing stormwater run-off, and how social infrastructure (i.e. grassroots organizing around mitigation activities like bioswale creation) is as essential as the physical variety in preparing for future storms.

Candidate Brad Lander

During his time at the pulpit, candidate Scott Stringer made frequent allusions to his tenure as comptroller in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, listing specific areas of necessary improvement which the storm brought to light, including assurances that seniors consistently receive medication, the need to remove boilers from basements, and how communications and community infrastructure are especially vital.

“As many of you will remember, during my tenure as comptroller, I took on oil companies to a divestment of $4 billion,” Stringer also noted. “We have to practice what we preach and divest to save our planet.”

Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor running as an independent, made the unique suggestion of naming the city’s first Deputy Mayor of the Waterfront to his potential staff.

“This would be a real subject matter expert on a variety of waterfront issues,” Walden explained. “Not just to work on a storm surge barrier, but to advise on things like the Billion Oyster Project – which I think is a brilliant idea. Developing natural reefs will be critically important to any plan.”

Candidate Scott Stringer

And Michael Blake, a former State Assemblymember, advocated for “eliminating outdated tax exemptions and redirecting those funds toward climate infrastructure,” specifically citing the property tax exemption currently enjoyed by Madison Square Garden (despite his avowed Knicks fandom).

The latter comment highlights something touched upon by all of the candidates – how a stark reduction in federal funding support for climate projects will require any Mayor to get creative about how they would continue to implement resilience efforts throughout their terms.

Money Flow

But the forum was not all about climate change and disaster preparedness; NYC waterfronts also provide ample opportunity for economic activity and job creation.

Lander, Stringer, and Blake all advocated for blue highways, which will increase transportation efficiency by shifting cargo from trucks to ships with greater load capacity. This would decrease both street congestion and air pollution.

Stringer also proposed issuing blue bonds to businesses and developers that promise to invest along the waterfront (akin to green bonds that encourage developers to implement climate solutions into their projects).

And Blake pointed to the necessity of teaching the youth to understand and embrace the versatility of our waterfronts, citing Martha’s Vineyard as an example: “at Martha’s Vineyard, they were able to utilize the installation of wind turbines as a training ground for that next generation of jobs – of both short-term and long-term skill sets. We can teach our young people about diving, about the grid, about maintenance… there’s an opportunity for transformative job creation connected to our maritime industries.”

 

Candidate Michael Blake

 

Access for All

Of course, city waterfronts are only as valuable as they are accessible to the everyday New Yorkers for whose benefit they exist. And as stands, that access is not evenly distributed. Each candidate stressed their desire to ensure that everyone in any borough can easily incorporate the waterfront into their lives.

“There is so much that we need to do for the Bronx, which local politicians have been promising they’d do for years,” Walden noted. “And waterfront access is absolutely one of them – creating opportunities where people don’t have to drive as many as 30 miles to get to a beach.”

Stringer pointed out that many neighborhoods which lack waterfront access have been divested from more broadly – a situation he hopes to reverse. To do this, he aims to increase the park budget to a long-aimed-for goal of 1%, specifically targeting areas where resources have been lacking, and “reimagining the possibility of the parks department.”

And Lander sees an opportunity to further expand public transit: “I want the ferries to be better connected to our broader MTA system via OMNY, so that someone could easily go from subway to bus to Citi Bike to ferry without having it be so disconnected.”

Candidate Jim Walden

BLUEprints

New York City’s waterfronts are exceedingly versatile resources. There is abundant potential here – be it economic, transit, equity, or joyful recreation – all waiting for an ambitious Mayor to unlock.

Each candidate took time to highlight their own experiences with and enthusiasm for the water, and how they aspire to hand ever more vibrant and accessible waterfront to future generations. But to ensure this, the city needs a Mayor willing to act boldly beginning on day one. And there are existing laws and plans in place that said Mayor only needs to run with, including the NYC Industrial Plan, the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, and the Five Borough Climate Adaptation Plan (for which Lander voiced support in his opening address.)

The blueprint is there; the waterfront just needs its advocate.

 

To learn more about the Waterfront Alliance’s stance, be sure to check out the WaterWire story on our “2025 Waterfront and Resilience Platform for the Next Mayor of New York City.”