Ambitions for power are at the forefront of a heated debate as Mayor Mamdani and fellow members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) set their sights on transforming New York City’s energy management. Their aim is collective control, a move they argue is necessary to combat rising energy costs.
Astoria Councilwoman Alexis Aviles, known for her progressive stance, has vocally criticized the current privatized energy framework. In a new advertising campaign, she draws attention to the escalating costs imposed by private energy companies. The campaign even references a cultural moment when artist Bad Bunny highlighted Puerto Rico’s energy issues during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Aviles, in a video released by the DSA on February 12, sheds light on Puerto Rico’s experience, noting, “In 2017, Puerto Rico’s energy system was handed over to a private company.” She points out the aftermath: “union busting, sky-high energy prices, and rampant blackouts.” Her message is clear—New York City is facing a similar trajectory under its current privatized system.
With these arguments, Aviles and the NYC DSA are rallying for a shift towards public power, asserting that this change is essential to prevent the financial strain of rising bills on residents. As this debate unfolds, the push for public control over energy in New York City is gaining momentum, with proponents urging for a system that prioritizes people over profit.
“And you can guess what came next — union busting, sky high energy prices and rampant blackouts.
“It’s the same thing here in Nueva York,” Avila says in the clip, “…a privatized energy company that’s sending our bills higher and higher every day.”
Energy giant Con Edison has a monopoly on Gotham’s electricity, supplying near 100% of it.
“That’s why NYC DSA is fighting to implement public power. So, from New York City to P f–king R… Con Ed out, let’s take back our power.”
But comparing Puerto Rico’s energy system — where blackouts are so frequent Bad Bunny named one of his bangers, “El Apagón,” after it — to the Big Apple is loco, critics said.
“It almost demeans the crisis there,” former NYC Councilman Joe Borelli told The Post.
“Puerto Rico’s a genuine crisis. We have bad governance and policy that causes electric rates to be high.”
“Can anyone point to one thing New York City operates more efficiently than a private sector counterpart?” he added. “It’s probably better to let Bad Bunny run it than the city.”
Con Edison, a publicly traded company, serves electricity to 3.6 million customers in most of the five boroughs and Westchester.
Mamdani, who often blasted rising electric bills during his campaign, has long been a backer of DSA’s power grab.
When the group first floated the idea of a public energy when Mamdani was a young Queens Assemblymember in 2021, he was the face of the campaign’s first video.
“For profit monopolies continue to control our power. They charge us some of the highest rates in the country, which can triple at random. And they spend millions of dollars lobbying elected officials to maintain their stranglehold on our power system,” Mamdani, then 29, lambasted in the clip titled “Why New York Needs Public Power.”
“We need an energy system that treats electricity as it is — a public good. And prioritizes people and the planet over the profits of Wall Street investors.”
Con Edison rebuffed the DSA’s claims that it could do the job better and cheaper, saying nearly 30% of a customer’s electric bill comes from the Big Apple’s high property taxes, which it has to pay on its power infrastructure — a rate Mamdani himself proposed to hike this week.
“New York City and Westchester are served by one of the nation’s most reliable electric systems, and sustaining that requires steady, disciplined investment as demand grows,” a spokesperson told The Post.
The company also said it doesn’t produce its own electricity, rather purchasing it on the wholesale market, a factor that would be little changed if the government took over.
