Overview
- Bernie Sanders administered the oath on the Koran and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined him in publicly backing the new mayor.
- Mamdani signed early decrees to revive a tenant protection office and to create two housing task forces focused on identifying city-owned parcels by July and streamlining permits.
- He framed his term as a test of democratic-socialist governance and pledged to act boldly even if every effort does not succeed.
- He reiterated affordability goals from his campaign, including free childcare, free bus service, a rent freeze for about one million households, and a municipal grocery pilot.
- He noted that tax hikes and new revenue would need state approval and signaled he could reprioritize the city’s $116 billion budget to fund priorities.