Anthony Shorris, newly appointed president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), has emphasized the need for a broader approach to tackling the city’s food affordability crisis beyond the mayor’s initial plan to establish five city-owned grocery stores. Shorris, who began his tenure on September 8, said the grocery store initiative serves more as a symbol of a wider problem rather than a comprehensive solution.
“Groceries was a symbol for the larger issue, food affordability, which is broad and important,” Shorris said in a recent interview, underscoring that grocery stores should not be seen as the only form of intervention in the marketplace. He suggested the city must consider where and how public resources can be used effectively across the food system, noting the government’s unique role in creating marketplaces.
The issue of food affordability remains acute in New York City, where over 40 percent of families with children report needing additional funds to meet their food needs. However, Shorris acknowledged the limited scale of the current effort—five grocery stores in a city featuring roughly 1,000 grocery stores and more than 10,000 bodegas—and expressed openness to additional strategies. He hinted at leveraging the city’s extensive institutional resources, such as the Department of Education’s large-scale meal programs, as possible avenues for intervention.
Shorris, a veteran of city government whose career dates back to the Koch administration and who previously served as first deputy mayor under Bill de Blasio, is charged with advancing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s economic development agenda. Mamdani’s approach prioritizes affordability and the quality of jobs created, as well as pursuing innovative programs like installing modular toilets across several city sites.
The NYCEDC, a mayoral nonprofit entity used by previous administrations for large-scale projects ranging from ferry systems to sports stadiums, plays a central role in realizing Mamdani’s vision. However, Mamdani’s administration has yet to prioritize economic development as strongly as previous mayors. He is the first mayor this century not to appoint a deputy mayor designated for economic development and delayed naming a leader for the NYCEDC until almost seven months into his term. Shorris’s appointment was welcomed by many industry leaders as a stabilizing presence and counterbalance to Lina Khan, whose expected confirmation as chairwoman of the NYCEDC board has been much anticipated. Khan, known for her aggressive regulatory stance as former Federal Trade Commission chair, brings a potentially more confrontational approach to business relations.
Shorris acknowledged the inherent tensions that exist between city government and business communities, describing such conflicts as commonplace. Nevertheless, he emphasized common goals shared by both sides, such as improved childcare, safer streets, and better transportation.
As an advocate for raising the minimum wage—a campaign pledge from Mamdani’s platform—Shorris pointed to his own prior role in implementing such an increase during his tenure under de Blasio, which helped lift hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers out of poverty. However, this policy has yet to gain traction as a legislative priority for Mamdani at the state level.
Raised in a politically active family with deep leftist and socialist influences, Shorris brings a nuanced understanding of progressive causes to his work. Now 69, he views this role as potentially his final contribution to city government, committed to advancing change in a city grappling with inequality and economic challenges.
“We’ve got to move it along,” Shorris said, referencing the high expectations set by Mamdani’s election and his ability to galvanize public belief that change is possible. The coming months will test how far the NYCEDC under Shorris can expand its impact beyond symbolic projects and implement systemic shifts in New York’s food affordability and economic landscape.