Zohran Mamdani blasts his predecessor’s ‘broken’ legacy and instantly rips up every order signed after this day that sealed the latter’s fate

New York City has a brand new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and he certainly didn’t waste any time getting started. On his first day in office, Mayor Mamdani signed a sweeping executive order that completely revoked almost every single directive issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, after a specific, controversial date, as per The Hill.

That key date is September 26, 2024, the exact moment Adams’ political fate was sealed, and Mamdani is clearly signaling that he views the post-indictment administration as illegitimate. This is a massive move, and it shows Mamdani isn’t interested in maintaining the previous administration’s “broken” legacy.

After his unique swearing-in ceremony, Mamdani addressed the public on Thursday at City Hall, speaking frankly about the previous era. He noted that the political situation had turned so sour that many New Yorkers had simply “turned away from politics over the last few months, the last few years, the last few decades.” He specifically tied his revocation order to the date of Adams’ indictment, saying, “That was a date that marked a moment when many New Yorkers decided politics held nothing for them.”

Interestingly enough, Eric Adams was present in person at Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration speech

Adams became the first New York mayor to be indicted, accused of taking money from Turkey in order to help facilitate a Turkish consulate in the Big Apple. The case itself later vanished in February, early into President Trump’s second term.

That dismissal was incredibly controversial and prompted howls of corruption from Democrats, along with a string of resignations from the prosecutors who were working the charges. The situation was so murky that one attorney reportedly wrote that Adams was being “rewarded” for “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case.” Mamdani is clearly trying to wipe the slate clean from that whole messy situation.

Mamdani sets an aggressively forward-looking agenda right out of the gate. He’s not hiding his political identity either, even though it has attracted vilification from the likes of President Trump, stating, “I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist.” He insists he won’t “abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”

He’s clearly trying to boost public confidence by resetting expectations for the entire government. He promised, “The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.” The new mayor wants to “govern expansively and audaciously,” acknowledging that they “may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.”

That ambitious approach is already showing up in his policy actions. He immediately signed three executive orders focused squarely on tackling New York City’s brutal housing crisis, which is a top-tier priority for anyone living here. He’s setting up two new task forces, one called Land Inventory Fast Track (LIFT) and another dubbed Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED).

Plus, he named Cea Weaver to be the new director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. This move makes it clear that tenant rights are going to be front and center in the new administration, which is a fantastic signal for renters across the city. On the administrative side, Mamdani is also slimming down the government structure, opting for five deputy mayors, which is fewer than his predecessor used.