Zohran Mamdani vows to govern “expansively and audaciously” in first speech as NYC mayor

Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City on Thursday taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics with a promise to transform government on behalf of the citys striving struggling working class Mamdani a Democrat was sworn in at a decommissioned subway station below City Hall just after midnight placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath as the citys first Muslim mayorAfter working part of the night in his new office Mamdani then returned to City Hall in a taxi cab around midday Thursday for a grander public inauguration where US Sen Bernie Sanders one of the mayors political heroes administered the oath for a second time Beginning today we will govern expansively and audaciously We may not always succeed but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try Mamdani told a cheering crowdTo those who insist that the era of big government is over hear me when I say this No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers lives he said Throngs turned out in the frigid cold for an inauguration viewing party just south of City Hall on a stretch of Broadway known as the Canyon of Heroes famous for its tickertape paradesTaxing the richThroughout the ceremony speakers hit on the theme that carried Mamdani to victory in the election Devotion to using government power to lift up the millions of people who struggle with the citys high cost of living Sanders insisted that doing so partly by raising taxes on the rich wouldnt be radical In the richest country in the history of the world making sure that people can live in affordable housing is not radical he told the crowd It is the right and decent thing to doIn opening remarks US Rep Alexandria OcasioCortez said Mamdani would be a mayor dedicated to the working class It is the people of New York who have chosen historic ambitious leadership in response to untenable and unprecedented times New York we have chosen courage over fear We have chosen prosperity for the many over spoils for the few she saidMamdani was accompanied on the stage by his wife Rama Duwaji The previous mayor Eric Adams was in attendance sitting near another former mayor Bill de Blasio Actor Mandy Patinkin who recently hosted Mamdani to celebrate Hannukah sang Over the Rainbow with children from an elementary school chorus The invocation was given by Imam Khalid Latif the director of the Islamic Center of New York City Poet Cornelius Eady read an original poem called ProofIn addition to being the citys 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 citys youngest mayor in generationsFree child care and bus ridesIn 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 worlds most expensive cities His platform included free child care free buses a rent freeze for about 1 million households and a pilot of cityrun grocery storesBut he will also have to face other responsibilities handling trash 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 7 with Mamdani growing up in a post911 city where Muslims didnt always feel welcome He became an American citizen in 2018He 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 are departing their onebedroom rent stabilized apartment in the outerborough to take up residence in the stately mayoral residence in ManhattanMamdani inherits a city on the upswing after years of slow recovery from the COVID19 pandemic Violent crime has dropped to prepandemic lows Tourists are back Unemployment which soared during the pandemic years is also back to preCOVID levels Yet deep concerns remain about high prices and rising rents in the city Hell also have to deal with Republican President Donald TrumpDuring the mayoral race Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani won and mused about sending National Guard troops to the city But Trump surprised supporters and foes alike by inviting the Democrat to the White House for what ended up being a cordial meeting in November I want him to do a great job and will help him do a great job Trump saidThe progressives take on TrumpStill tensions between the two leaders are almost certain to resurface given their deep policy disagreements particularly over immigration Several speakers at Thursdays inauguration criticized the Trump administrations move to deport more immigrants and expressed hope that Mamdanis City Hall would be an ally to those the president has targetedMamdani also faces skepticism and opposition from some members of the citys Jewish community over his criticisms of Israels 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 governmentThat included persuading the citys 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 strategyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever