Zohran Mamdani has been sworn in as New York City's 111th mayor, marking a historic moment as the first Muslim mayor and the first Democrat to hold the office with democratic socialist credentials. The 34-year-old took the oath of office in a unique ceremony held in a disused subway station beneath City Hall. Mamdani, who described his campaign as "poetry" and his governance style as "prose," aims to tackle New York's affordability crisis, with his platform centered on lowering costs and making life easier for residents.
Key to his agenda is addressing housing costs through a proposed rent freeze and a commitment to building 200,000 new permanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilized homes over the next decade. He also plans to establish a new Department of Community Safety to address violence through a public health approach, potentially involving civilian mental health workers in crisis interventions.
Mamdani's economic rights agenda includes initiatives like municipal grocery stores to combat rising food costs and eliminating fares on all city buses, alongside building new bus lanes. He also proposes free childcare for all children aged six weeks to five years and expanded K-12 education services. To fund these ambitious plans, estimated at $10 billion annually, Mamdani intends to raise the corporate tax rate from 7.25% to 11.5% and increase personal income taxes for the top 1% of earners. Additionally, he champions raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030. On immigration, Mamdani plans to strengthen New York's sanctuary city status, remove ICE from city facilities, and boost legal services for immigrants at risk of deportation.