Mayor Zohran Mamdani pictured signing three of his first five executive orders aimed at tackling the city’s housing crisis during a press conference at an apartment building in Brooklyn
Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
It’s Thursday, Jan. 1, the first day of Zohran Mamdani’s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office as we closely track his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city’s finances. Here’s a summary of what the mayor did today.
After a rousing, populist inauguration speech Thursday afternoon in which New York City’s new mayor promised to rule “audaciously” for all New Yorkers while remaining true to his democratic socialist roots, Zohran Mamdani moved decisively to mark a new era in city governance.
Upon officially becoming mayor at midnight, Mamdani wasted no time in appointing Mike Flynn as his Department of Transportation commissioner. With the celebration of inauguration behind him Thursday evening, Mamdani stayed on the job — reviving a mothballed office focused on tenants’ rights and appointing someone to lead it; reorganizing and formalizing his leadership team’s responsibilities; and creating two new task forces aimed at making housing more affordable citywide.
Mamdani also revoked a series of executive orders issued by former Mayor Eric Adams after Sept. 26, 2024 – the date he was federally indicted.
Those revoked orders from the past 16 months that former Mayor Adams issued include barring city officials and appointees from discriminating against Israel, which many saw as a way to “Mamdani-proof” city investments from any potential revocation from the new mayor, who has been highly critical of the Israeli government and previously supported the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement. After Adams signed that executive order in early December, Mamdani said he would review “every single one” of his predecessor’s directives, signaling that reversals were likely once he entered City Hall.
Another now-revoked order directed Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to evaluate proposals for regulating protests near houses of worship. A separate September order directing city agencies to prepare for a 2026 phaseout of the horse carriage industry was also nullified, though the City Council would have needed to pass legislation for that transition to occur
Mamdani’s executive order preserved orders that Adams signed prior to Sept. 26, 2024, that were still in effect at the end of Adams’ term – including one order that established the Office to Combat Antisemitism.
Mamdani also signed four new orders focused on reorganizing the mayor’s senior leadership team, revitalizing the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, and launching two new task forces designed to expedite housing construction and reduce bureaucratic delays.
“Today marks the first step in building an administration that works for all New Yorkers,” Mamdani said in a statement. “We’ve established the foundations of it, and now it’s time to deliver on our affordability agenda, tackle the challenges facing New Yorkers, and usher in a new era for New York City — one that proves that government can deliver for working people.”
Affordability: Mamdani revitalizes Office to Protect Tenants
Mayor Mamdani appointed Cea Weaver, a nationally recognized tenant organizer and housing advocate, to lead the office during a press conference at a Pinnacle Realty–owned building in Brooklyn as the mayor announced the city would intervene in the landlord’s bankruptcy proceedings.
The Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, which will serve as a central coordinating body to defend tenants’ rights, confront negligent landlords, and push city agencies to act more quickly on unsafe or illegal housing conditions.
The Mamdani administration stated that Pinnacle has been cited for thousands of housing violations and complaints across dozens of buildings. City officials the city is seeking immediate relief to improve conditions and reduce the risk of tenant displacement, an intervention Mamdani described as an unprecedented step on behalf of renters.
In addition to the tenant office overhaul, Mamdani signed executive orders creating two housing-focused task forces. The LIFT Task Force — short for Land Inventory Fast Track — will review city-owned properties and identify sites suitable for housing development by July 1, 2026. The SPEED Task Force, or Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development, will work to identify and remove permitting and bureaucratic barriers that slow construction and delay lease-ups.
Both task forces will be overseen by Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg, with the SPEED Task Force also co-led by Deputy Mayor of Operations Julia Kerson.
Governing: Mamdani resets City Hall operations
Mamdani also used his first day to reset City Hall’s internal operations, establishing the structure of the new administration, formalizing the five deputy mayors’ roles and appointing senior leadership, including Dean Fuleihan as the first deputy mayor and Julia Su as deputy mayor of economic justice.
One executive order revoked all prior mayoral executive orders issued on or after Sept. 26, 2024 — the day then-Mayor Adams was officially indicted on federal fraud charges for alleged campaign finance fraud. Adams vehemently denied the charges and alleged they were politically motivated because of his criticism of then-President Biden over his migrant policy.
But after President Trump took office again in 2025, the Justice Department moved to have the case against Adams dismissed; a federal judge eventually agreed to the government’s request and dropped them “with prejudice,” meaning the charges could not be re-raised. Nonetheless, there were allegations of a quid pro quo between Adams and Trump that moved many in city and state government, and in public opinion, to turn against the mayor.
Mamdani said the orders issued after the date of Adams’ indictment “time and time again come up against the interests of working-class people and what they need from their mayor,” but emphasized that essential offices, including the Office to Combat Antisemitism, would be retained, with the administration committed to “not only protecting Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate and cherish them.”
When asked about why he chose the date that Adams federally indicted, Mamdani said the date “marked a moment when many New Yorkers decided that politics held nothing for them but more of the same,” and that his administration is “showcasing…how we will stand alongside the New Yorkers who have been left behind, but also the structures we will create such that New Yorkers…can know the truth of that commitment.”
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