Filipino journalists launch 'Mamdani tracker' for New York City mayor's projects

Three Filipinos in New York City have created a tracker website aiming to follow the progress and promises of newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The 'Mamdani tracker,' founded by New York-based journalist Anthony Esguerra with economist Cha Crisostomo and policy analyst Geli Juani, aims to audit and hold the mayor accountable for the 100 promises he made during the campaign.

The tracker aims to utilize journalism and policy analysis in studying how the City Hall makes actions and decisions, which can be done through close review of policy memos and translating it into a more technical and easy-to-understand manner.

“New York is having a pivotal moment. Zohran Mamdani is reshaping not only the city but also American politics. His rise from a long-shot candidate was powered by volunteers and voters frustrated by the affordability crisis but was energized by his vision… We hope to engage the same people who catapulted Mamdani to power to hold him accountable through this civic journalism project,” Esguerra said. 

"Our goal is to apply policy research and quantitative analysis to systematically document what was promised and how those commitments evolve once governing begins,” Juani added.

They also aim to establish performance indicators to analyze how Mamdani’s implementations are being conducted and faring in terms of economic performance, governance, and other areas.

“Cities are complex systems… The data helps establish benchmarks for the start of Mamdani's term and track milestones achieved by his administration so people can better understand what is happening, without oversimplifying outcomes,” Crisostomo shared.

Meanwhile, the team stressed that they have no political affiliations with the project and that they only used publicly available records and documents.

“As a journalist, I’ve seen how ambitious promises made by politicians — in Asia and the U.S. — can be difficult to track once the news cycle shifts. Mamdani Tracker is our practical response to that challenge. Instead of focusing on day-to-day political back-and-forth, we’re documenting policy commitments, actions, and publicly available evidence so people can see what was promised and what follows,” Esguerra shared.

Zohran Mamdani was elected New York City mayor in November 2025, becoming the first Muslim mayor of the city.

Mamdani will be serving a 4-year term after garnering more than 2 million votes or 50% of the votes for the position.

During his campaign, the mayor had promised a freeze on rents and free buses and childcare, building a campaign around affordability issues. —VAL, GMA Integrated News