NEW YORK, NY — Joseph Hernandez, Republican candidate for New York State Comptroller, today blasted Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to spend approximately $30 million in taxpayer funds to open a government-run grocery store in East Harlem.
The city-backed grocery store would require tens of millions in upfront public investment despite New York City already facing significant budget deficits and fiscal uncertainty. Hernandez emphasized that the grocery business operates on notoriously thin profit margins, making it especially ill-suited for government management and highly vulnerable to ongoing taxpayer subsidies.
“At a time when New York City is struggling with massive budget gaps, the answer is not to spend $30 million on a government-run grocery store,” Hernandez said. “What makes anyone think a government-run store, burdened by bureaucracy and inefficiency, will succeed without constant taxpayer bailouts.”
Hernandez also pointed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s commitment of $1.5 billion in additional state funding to New York City, arguing that taxpayers across the state are now being forced to subsidize politically driven projects that benefit a narrow segment of the city.
“Taxpayers in Buffalo, Syracuse, and across New York should not be footing the bill for a socialist experiment in East Harlem,” Hernandez said. “This is exactly the kind of spending that erodes trust in government and worsens our long-term fiscal outlook.”
As a Cuban immigrant, Hernandez warned that government-controlled grocery stores have historically led to inefficiency, shortages, and declining quality.
“I know exactly how this ends because I’ve lived it,” Hernandez said. “I fled Cuba as a child and experienced firsthand what happens when the government takes control of food distribution. Under Castro, government-run stores meant empty shelves, long lines, and limited choices. We cannot allow New York to move in that direction.”
Hernandez is adamant and committed to fiscal responsibility and oversight as Comptroller, pledging to scrutinize any misuse of taxpayer funds tied to politically motivated initiatives.
“As Comptroller, I will aggressively audit this grocery store and any others that Mayor Mamdani’s administration decides to open,” Hernandez said. “New Yorkers deserve accountability, not ideological experiments funded on their backs.”