If you run a business in NYC, you should only be focused on one thing right now: finding office space in Jersey City. With anti-police mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani about to take over, this is the most important thing you can do for your company.

Back to the Bad Old Days

We saw the results of defunding the cops under Bill De Blasio.

Crime shot up like I’ve never seen in New York. Random people threatened me on the street. I saw people passed out with needles in their arms.

In 11 years out here, I’d never seen anything like it.

With the election of Mayor Eric Adams, New York is on the mend. But with Mamdani running away with the primary, we’re headed back to the bad old days.

Mamdani has repeatedly called for defunding the police. Now that he’s trying to get elected, he’s attempting to walk that back.

If you’re buying that, I have some swampland in Florida you’re gonna love.

Why Businesses Have to Leave Now

Mamdani will likely win. Even if he doesn’t, his primary victory shows how far left the NYC electorate has gone.

Soon, either Mamdani or someone very much like him will take power. They’ll defund the police and crime will skyrocket.

Once that happens, it will be hard to recruit employees to NYC.

Who wants to pay $4,000 a month for a closet and get robbed on their way to the grocery store? No one.

The best talent will go elsewhere. They’ll go to your competitors outside NYC.

Once you can no longer attract the best people, your company is done.

It’s important to leave now while there’s still space available. If you’re streaming out with everyone else, the limited office space in the surrounding area will be taken.

Why Jersey?

Here’s why you should move to Jersey City: it’s close, but not too close.

You’re safely across the river and away from NYC’s ultraliberal policies. But you’re close enough to the city that not all your workers need to move at once.

They can trickle in over time on their own schedule. They won’t need to take their kids out of school, at least not right away.

Asking everyone to move to Miami or Austin is a much harder sell. Asking them to hop on the PATH train is only a minor change to what they do now.

Jersey City has some lovely office space. This weekend, I looked around online out of curiosity and found this beautiful co-working space right across the street from the Newport PATH station. There are also some great spots in Hoboken and Secaucus, close to major train stations.

Wrap-Up

The lifeblood of any business is talent. And in a couple of years, the best talent will not want to be in New York.

You don’t wait until the roof collapses to leave a burning building. Don’t wait until you or your employees are being assaulted to leave NYC.

I hope I’m wrong about New York’s future. But I wouldn’t want to bet my company on it.

More from the blog:

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ChatGPT Helped Me Pick Our Next Governor

Big Money, Politics and Polarization: Krysten Sinema at the All-In Summit

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