Director of de Blasio’s $1B ThriveNYC boondoggle runs trendy DUMBO boutique — and is on Zohran Mamdani’s transition committee
A former director of Bill de Blasio’s ambitious $1 billion ThriveNYC initiative has turned her attention to a stylish DUMBO storefront, Plum on Bridge Street, where she markets meticulously crafted, locally sourced décor—one standout piece being a $450 “octagon table” made by a woodworker who argues that our living spaces profoundly affect our mental well‑being. That same sentiment mirrors the vague, buzz‑word‑laden language that once buzzed around ThriveNYC, a program widely seen as a vanity venture for de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, and which faded from the spotlight when Eric Adams took office in 2022. While running her boutique and selling items such as $340 “mega wine bone boards,” Herman surprised many New Yorkers when she was selected for the new Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team on community safety. Critics, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R‑Staten Island), questioned why Mamdani would add a former steward of a $1 billion failure to his committee, urging an inquiry into the ThriveNYC saga and suggesting the new administration should analyze what went wrong and do the opposite. The ThriveNYC program later became the Office of Community Mental Health, operating quietly, while Mamdani’s envisioned “Department of Community Safety” echoes some of the same mental‑health concerns. Though it remains unclear whether Herman’s experience will influence the rollout of that department, her reappearance has sparked the memory of a high‑profile money‑management scandal for many residents. As Stefano Forte, president of the New York Young Republican Club, put it, “Zohran ran on ‘transparency,’ yet he’s rolling out City Hall swamp creature Susan Herman as though any of us have forgotten her billion‑dollar disappearing act with ThriveNYC that allegedly transferred taxpayer cash into Chirlane McCray’s pockets.” He warned that the Mamdani administration could become “de Blasio 2.0 with the same cronies and same grift,” raising concerns that the mayor‑elect might even outshine his predecessor in orchestrating the city’s new circus.
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