Illustration by Stuart Davis In his victory speech, Zohran Mamdani vowed to put forward “the most ambitious agenda” New York City had seen since the administration of Fiorello La Guardia, whom he’s unhesitatingly named its greatest mayor. Fans and pundits have frequently wrapped Mamdani in La Guardia’s mythic mantle: La Guardia too was a courageous maverick bent on delivering an honest government devoted to the welfare of the people and a man determined to provide New Yorkers with affordable housing, clean streets, and reliable public transportation. His accomplishments during his three terms as mayor were legion. Speaking out against cronyism and political hacks, La Guardia appointed highly competent, seasoned commissioners, from both parties, to an utterly bipartisan government. Under his watch fourteen new health centers and nine new child health stations opened, fourteen new piers and two sewage disposal centers were built, the city charter was revamped, the subway system consolidated, and, with the assistance of the New Deal, a huge public works initiative boldly launched, which included hundreds of new parks and playgrounds and …