Zohran Mamdani formally took the oath of workplace because the clock struck midnight on New Yr’s Eve, turning into the 112th mayor of New York Metropolis.
In a non-public ceremony on the deserted Previous Metropolis Corridor subway station, Mamdani was sworn in by New York Legal professional Common Letitia James.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist, who served within the thirty sixth Meeting District representing the Queens neighborhood of Astoria, is now the town’s first Muslim mayor and its first of South Asian descent.
“That is really the glory and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani mentioned in a quick speech.
New York Legal professional Common Letitia James, left, administers the oath of workplace to New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as his spouse Rama Duwaji seems to be on, simply after midnight on Jan. 1, 2026.
Yuki Iwamura / AP
Mamdani known as previous subway station a “testomony to the significance of public transit to the vitality, the well being and the legacy of our metropolis.” He then introduced the appointment of Mike Flynn as his new Division of Transportation commissioner.
Public oath to be taken Thursday afternoon
Mamdani will publicly take the oath of workplace, administered by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, on Thursday at 1 p.m. at Metropolis Corridor. CBS Information New York will stream the ceremony dwell.
The brand new mayor’s public swearing-in will accompany a block social gathering celebration in Decrease Manhattan that runs from 11 a.m. to three p.m. Anybody planning to attend should RSVP on-line.
Dubbed the “Inauguration of a New Period,” it would happen within the famed “Canyon of Heroes,” from Liberty Avenue to Murray Avenue — an historic stretch alongside Broadway. The route is legendary for ticker-tape parades which have honored athletes, astronauts, politicians and New York heroes.
The celebration will embody music, performances and interfaith components, Mamdani’s transition group mentioned.
Mamdani’s inauguration is anticipated to attract media consideration from throughout the nation and around the globe.
“I feel there’s actually going to be numerous power. I feel many people who’ve had an opportunity to cowl Mamdani and to {photograph} him have actually seen the charisma up shut, and I feel he has actually been in a position to like create these connections to so many various New Yorkers,” photographer Amanda Briggs mentioned.
In preparation for the switch of energy, Mamdani appointed 5 new high-ranking members of his administration over the past two days, together with a new metropolis colleges chancellor, Kamar Samuels.
What to learn about new DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn
With greater than twenty years of expertise in each the private and non-private sectors, Flynn might be counted on to assist Mamdani obtain a lot of his affordability objectives, together with free buses, one of many new mayor’s signature coverage proposals.
“It’s an honor to have Mike right here alongside me as we embark on an administration that can take severely the duty and the chance we now have to make this streetscape and the general public transit of the town we name residence the envy of the world,” Mamdani mentioned throughout the swearing-in ceremony. “And it’ll require somebody who’s skilled, who’s fluent within the panorama as it’s, and who’s bold and imaginative in the direction of the panorama, because it may very well be. And I can consider no higher individual than the person alongside me.”
Previous to his appointment, Flynn was a vice chairman and sector supervisor for TYLin Metropolis Options, the place he, in response to Mamdani’s transition web site, “supported groups of engineers, planners, designers, and neighborhood outreach specialists working throughout disciplines to resolve advanced transportation, improvement, and infrastructure challenges all through the New York Metropolis area.”
Earlier in his profession, Flynn labored for the New York Metropolis Division of Transportation for nearly 10 years, holding senior management positions, together with Director of Capital Planning and Mission Initiation, a task by which he “guided the planning and supply of main capital road enchancment initiatives supporting site visitors security, bus precedence, and new public areas citywide,” Mamdani’s web site says.
“I’m honored by the belief Mayor Zohran Mamdani has positioned in me to steer the Division of Transportation and work alongside this group to ship for New Yorkers. Transportation is important to affordability and high quality of life, it determines how folks get to work, college, and residential safely. I look ahead to constructing a DOT that strikes sooner, places security first, and delivers actual wins for working New Yorkers,” Flynn mentioned in a press release.
What transportation consultants say about Mike Flynn
Some consultants on transportation within the Massive Apple say Flynn is a superb selection to steer the division going ahead.
“RPA applauds the Mamdani Administration for appointing Mike Flynn as DOT Commissioner. He’s a well-respected skilled and chief in metropolis transportation coverage and we’re excited to assist him perform a imaginative and prescient for higher bus service and safer streets,” Kate Slevin, govt vice chairman of the Regional Plan Affiliation, mentioned in a press release.
“Mike is aware of the company, the town and its streets from the within out,” added former metropolis DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “Mike might be a robust voice for Mayor Mamdani and for all New Yorkers in making transportation work for them, and for turning proposals into initiatives within the floor that can make the town’s streets safer, extra accessible and inexpensive.”
Adi Guajardo
contributed to this report.