Mayor Zohran Mamdani is under fresh scrutiny after campaign paperwork surfaced showing he backed removing Ed Koch's name from the Queensboro Bridge, better known to most commuters as the 59th Street Bridge. Whether he still wants Koch's name off the span that carries a daily stream of cars, bikes and pedestrians between Manhattan and Queens is now an open question, and City Hall is not rushing to clear it up.
On April 27, 2025, Mamdani checked "Yes" when asked if he would support renaming the Ed Koch bridge and would work to sponsor legislation to make it happen, according to Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club questionnaire records. The club posted the responses online as part of its endorsement process, and Mamdani's answers remain on its site.
But when it comes to whether Mamdani still wants Koch's name stripped from the bridge now that he is in office, the mayor's team is staying quiet. His office did not return a request for comment on his current position, as reported by amNewYork. Allen Roskoff, who heads the Jim Owles club that circulated the questionnaire, told the outlet that advocates are "building support" and searching for elected officials who show "empathy" for people who lost loved ones during the AIDS crisis.
The fight is playing out against a fairly recent naming decision. In 2011, the City Council voted to designate the span the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the local law that made it official, according to City Council legislation records. The measure, Int. No. 446-2010, amended the city map in April 2011 to add Koch's name.
Mamdani is not the only official who told the club they were on board with a rename. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said he was a pre-intro co-sponsor of legislation to remove Koch's name, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also answered "Yes," according to the club's published candidate pages. Those responses are posted in the Jim Owles questionnaire archive.
Inside City Hall, though, not everyone is lining up behind a change. Speaker Julie Menin, who at one point indicated in the club's questionnaire that she favored reverting to the "59th Street Bridge" name, has since shifted her public stance. A Menin spokesperson told amNewYork that she does not support efforts to rename the bridge and would not co-sponsor any such bill.
How A Rename Would Move Through City Hall
Formally changing the bridge's name would require a local law passed by the City Council and signed by the mayor. That process typically comes with committee hearings, public outreach, and changes to city maps and signage. The procedural slog is exactly why advocates say they want a clear list of sponsors and likely votes before pushing for a formal bill. Questions about how much it would cost, how long it would take, and how neighborhoods on both sides of the East River would react often slow similar efforts even when officials express support on questionnaires.
For now, the dispute looks more like a political skirmish than a fully formed bill. Advocates say they are still canvassing elected officials for firm commitments, and City Hall has been carefully worded in its public comments. If a council member eventually files a pre-intro or a formal measure to remove Koch's name, that would be the clearest sign that campaign-season answers are on the verge of becoming citywide policy.
