New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s newly appointed housing official, Cea Weaver, said she regrets “some” of her past rhetoric after facing mounting backlash over resurfaced social media posts and public comments critical of homeownership.
Weaver, a longtime housing activist and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, was recently named director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Her appointment quickly drew scrutiny after several old posts from her now-deleted X account circulated online, including a statement in which she described homeownership as a tool of “white supremacy.”
This was particularly mocked after the discovery that Weaver, who is white, has parents that live in a craftsman valued at over $1 million.
Addressing the controversy in an interview with Spectrum News NY1, Weaver was pressed by host Errol Louis about a sharp rebuke from former Mayor Eric Adams, who had labeled her views “out of your f—ing mind” in response to the resurfaced remarks. Louis asked Weaver directly whether she stood by those statements.
“I don’t think I’m out of my mind,” Weaver said. “Some of those things are certainly not how I would say things today, and are regretful.”
While Weaver did not specify which statements she now disavows, she sought to reframe her past rhetoric as part of a broader critique of systemic inequality. She emphasized her background as a housing advocate and said her focus in city government would be on expanding tenant protections and addressing long-standing racial disparities in access to housing.
“I do think my decades of experience fighting for more affordable housing sort of stands on its own,” Weaver said. “I’m proud to be in this role fighting for stronger tenants’ rights. And I think that for many years, people have been locked out of the property market, that has produced systemic and racial inequalities in our system.”
Weaver added that her goal as housing director is to ensure all New Yorkers have access to safe and affordable housing, regardless of whether they rent or own. “I want to make sure that everybody has a safe and affordable place to live — whether they rent or own — and that is something that I’m laser-focused on in this new role,” she said.
Former Mayor Adams, who has been an outspoken critic of the city’s direction since leaving office, has continued to denounce Weaver’s past comments. In a post shown during the NY1 interview, Adams defended homeownership as a cornerstone of economic mobility, particularly for immigrants and working-class families.
“Homeownership is how immigrants, Black, Brown, and working-class New Yorkers built stability and generational wealth despite every obstacle,” Adams wrote. “You have to be completely out of your f—ing mind to call that ‘White supremacy.’ That level of thinking only comes from extreme privilege and total detachment from reality.”
The controversy surrounding Weaver comes as Mayor Mamdani’s administration faces growing criticism over several high-profile appointments, with opponents arguing that the mayor is elevating ideologically driven figures into influential policy roles.
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This 3 ring Circus that New York City voters created by electing a Socialist/Communist Muslim as their Mayor, will be entertaining to watch for Non-NYC residents. Hopefully, it will be a learning experience that will help them avoid making the same mistake NYC voters made. Time will tell.