Mamdani becomes new mayor of New York
by Lisa Hornung · UPIJan. 1 (UPI) -- New York City has a new mayor Thursday after the private swearing-in ceremony in an abandoned subway tunnel just after midnight, then a public one for all of New York to enjoy.
Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York early Thursday morning. He was sworn in by New York Attorney General Letitia James, with his wife Rama Duwaji holding two Korans for the first Muslim mayor to swear on.
In the afternoon, he had a mock swearing-in by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., with speaker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The event was in front of City Hall, with 4,000 invited guests and all others who wanted to come.
"I stand alongside you," Mamdani said. "The tens of thousands of you gathered here in Lower Manhattan, armed against the January chill by the resurgent flame of hope.
"I stand alongside countless more New Yorkers watching from cramped kitchens in Flushing and barber shops in East New York, from cellphones propped against the dashboards of parked taxicabs at La Guardia, hospitals in Mott Haven and libraries in El Barrio that have too long known only neglect."
Imam Khalid Latif, executive director of the Islamic Center of New York City, offered an invocation at the inauguration. Standing beside five faith leaders representing New York's various religious sects, Latif offered a prayer for City Hall and the city itself. He said Mamdani was a rare figure who could only rise in a place like New York, The New York Times reported.
"Let what was once thought impossible be the standard by which we measure our future," Latif said in closing. "And let New York City continue to show the world what is possible when people believe in one another and continue to show that respect, dignity and compassion are no longer for the few but for the all."
Grace Rector, 26, told The Times how Mamdani's speech made her feel.
"I just feel so positive and excited -- I felt like a kid again in the sense that I believe in the government and its ability to actually contribute to making things happen."
Mamdani ended his speech with a message: "We will set an example for the world. If what Sinatra said is true -- let us prove that anyone can make it in New York and anywhere else, too."
Blue and gold confetti rained down as onlookers cheered in the cold afternoon.
One of the Korans Mamdani used in his early morning swearing-in belonged to his grandfather, and another belonged to Arturo Schomburg, a Black historian and writer who was an important intellectual figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
The small morning ceremony took place in the old City Hall station, which is one of 28 original subway stations that opened in 1904. It was closed in 1945.
"This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime," Mamdani said.
Mamdani called the station "a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city."
Last week, Mamdani told reporters he wanted the inauguration to be open to all.
"We wanted to ensure that as we celebrated the beginning of our administration, it was a celebration that was not simply for the typical people who would be invited to an inauguration, but in fact, for everyone," Mamdani said.
"This is not my success. It's our success. It's not my administration. It's our administration. Similarly, it's not my inauguration. It's for all of us," the new mayor added.
Mamdani has an ambitious agenda, including free buses, rent freezes and more. He has said funding will come from raising taxes on those who earn more than $1 million. But he needs the state to approve any taxes, and Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is opposed to raising taxes in the state. She has implied that she supports finding other revenue to fund his plan.
"It is my job as governor to make sure that whomever the mayor is, they're successful," Hochul told WNYW-TV in December.