Laura Nahmias
Updated ,first published
New York: Mayor Zohran Mamdani unapologetically promised to lead New York City as a democratic socialist during a frigid inauguration ceremony on the steps of City Hall on Thursday (Friday AEDT), a warning to those who believed he might moderate his positions after taking office.
The ceremony served as a not-so-subtle statement of resistance to White House policies from the nation’s largest city, with the nearly two-hour long event featuring speeches by two of the United States’ most liberal members of Congress, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, one of Mamdani’s political heroes.
New York Attorney-General Letitia James, a frequent target of President Donald Trump, also had a speaking role.
“I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” Mamdani said in a roughly 30-minute address delivered to supporters, elected officials and media gathered in below-freezing weather. “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”
During the mayoral race last year, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani won, and mused about sending National Guard troops to the city. But the president surprised supporters and foes alike by inviting the Democrat to the White House for what ended up being a cordial meeting in November.
Tensions between the two leaders are almost certain to resurface, however, given their deep policy disagreements, particularly over immigration.
Mamdani’s inauguration speech was the culmination of the 34-year-old’s improbable rise to power, reiterating many of the campaign promises that earned him a decisive victory in November’s election, including free childcare and bus transportation as well as a vow to freeze rent for tenants in stabilised apartments.
“These policies are not simply about the costs we make free, but the lives we fill with freedom,” he said. “For too long in our city, freedom has belonged only to those who can afford to buy it. Our City Hall will change that.”
When Mamdani formally took the oath of office hours earlier, at midnight, in an abandoned subway station, he became the city’s first mayor of South Asian descent, its first Muslim mayor and the youngest leader of the metropolis of nearly 8.5 million people in more than a century.
That diversity – and what it represents to the city often dubbed a melting pot of cultures and religions – was celebrated in Mamdani’s remarks but also by the new city comptroller Mark Levine, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who were also sworn in during the ceremony.
The addresses celebrated New York’s rich immigrant community, promising to protect residents from Trump’s deportation policies. Mamdani said he would deliver an agenda of “safety, affordability and abundance,” while repeatedly referencing New Yorkers from across neighbourhoods where various languages are spoken and religions are practiced.
Williams called attention to City Hall being only blocks from federal immigration court, which has been a political flashpoint in recent months.
“The relief that these families are still united comes as so many are being separated and the sense of contradiction carries across the five boroughs,” Williams said. He was given the oath of office by individuals who have been impacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.
Sanders praised the mayor for getting hordes of New Yorkers to work together on his insurgent campaign and called for the wealthy and corporations to pay higher taxes, in both the city and nationwide.
“The billionaire class in this city and in this country have got to understand that in America, they cannot have it all,” Sanders said. “America, our great country, must belong to all of us, not just a few, and that lesson begins today in New York City.”
Mamdani took his oath on a Quran when he was sworn in at midnight.
The private ceremony, administered by New York Attorney-General Letitia James, a political ally, took place at the old City Hall station, one of the city’s original subway stops that is known for its stunning arched ceilings.
In Mamdani’s first remarks as mayor, he said the old subway station was a “testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city” as he announced the appointment of his new Department of Transportation commissioner, Mike Flynn.
Mamdani now begins one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics as one of the country’s most-watched politicians.
In addition to being the city’s first Muslim mayor, Mamdani is also its first of South Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa. At 34, Mamdani is also the city’s youngest mayor in generations.
In a campaign that helped make “affordability” a buzzword across the political spectrum, the democratic socialist promised to bring transformative change with policies intended to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
But he will also have to face other responsibilities: handling garbage and snow and rats, while getting blamed for subway delays and potholes.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, an academic and author. His family moved to New York City when he was seven, with Mamdani growing up in a post-September 11 city where Muslims didn’t always feel welcome. He became an American citizen in 2018.
He worked on political campaigns for Democratic candidates in the city before he sought public office himself, winning a state assembly seat in 2020 to represent a section of Queens.
Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, will depart their one-bedroom, rent-stabilised apartment in the outer borough to take up residence in the stately mayoral residence in Manhattan.
Mamdani inherits a city on the upswing, after years of slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Violent crime has dropped to pre-pandemic lows. Tourists are back. Unemployment, which soared during the pandemic years, is also back to pre-COVID levels.
Yet deep concerns remain about high prices and rising rents in the city. He’ll also have to deal with Trump, and faces scepticism and opposition from some members of the city’s Jewish community over his criticisms of Israel’s government.
The new mayor and his team have spent the weeks since his election victory preparing for the transition, surrounding Mamdani with seasoned hands who have worked inside or alongside city government.
That included persuading the city’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, to remain in her position – a move that helped calm fears in the business community that the administration might be planning radical changes in policing strategy.
Bloomberg, AP
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