Freshly sworn in as New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani moved quickly to put his stamp on City Hall, signing a series of executive orders on his first day in office Thursday, including one that revokes most directives issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, after Adams was indicted last fall.
Speaking from New York City Hall, Mamdani framed the move as part of a broader effort to restore public trust in city government. “We speak about this day as a new era. And in order to fulfill that hope, we have to reckon with why so many New Yorkers have turned away from politics over the last few months, the last few years, the last few decades,” Mamdani said.
Under the order, all executive actions issued by Adams after Sept. 26, 2024, will be rescinded. That date coincides with the moment Adams was indicted by a federal grand jury on corruption charges. “That was a date that marked a moment when many New Yorkers decided politics held nothing for them,” Mamdani said.
Adams made history as the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money from Turkey in exchange for helping facilitate the establishment of a Turkish consulate in New York. The case was later dropped by the U.S. Department of Justice in February, early in Donald Trump’s second term.
BREAKING: Mayor Mamdani’s first executive order wipes out every Eric Adams EO signed after Sept. 26, 2024 — the day of Adams’ indictment.
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) January 2, 2026
Mamdani says those orders were “against the interests of working-class people.”
Clean slate. New power structure. No inherited baggage. pic.twitter.com/s03LZWz2JC
That decision sparked intense backlash from Democrats and led to a string of resignations from prosecutors involved in the case. In a public letter, one former prosecutor said Adams was being “rewarded” for “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case.”
Mamdani used his inaugural address to signal a sharp shift in governing style and ambition. “The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations,” he said. “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.”
Housing was a major focus of Mamdani’s first-day agenda. He signed three executive orders aimed at addressing the city’s housing crisis, including two that create new task forces designed to speed up development and cut through bureaucratic delays. The initiatives, Land Inventory Fast Track and Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development, are intended to accelerate the construction of new housing across the city.
Mamdani also appointed Cea Weaver as director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, signaling a stronger emphasis on tenant rights. He further ordered a streamlined leadership structure, reducing the number of deputy mayors to five.
“We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe,” Mamdani said. “I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”
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