Overview
- Mamdani, 34, was sworn in just after midnight at the closed Old City Hall subway station by New York Attorney General Letitia James, placing his hand on two Qurans including one linked to Arturo Schomburg.
- A public ceremony at City Hall followed in the afternoon, with Senator Bernie Sanders delivering a ceremonial oath and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking before thousands along Broadway.
- The new mayor announced Michael Flynn as transportation commissioner and chose to keep Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner as he begins staffing his administration.
- Mamdani becomes the city’s first Muslim and first mayor of South Asian descent, stepping in with priorities that include a rent freeze for stabilized units, universal childcare, free buses and a major affordable-housing push.
- Funding and authority hurdles remain significant, with key elements reliant on state approval and MTA cooperation, and outside estimates placing citywide free buses in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually.