As mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office, Black New Yorkers are watching the transition with caution, tempered hope, and, in some cases, no expectations at all.
This year’s mayoral race was historic: New York elected its first Muslim mayor, its youngest in a century, and saw the highest voter turnout since the 1960s. Mamdani won with 64% of the vote in predominantly Black neighborhoods, an increase from 39% in the primary election.
Black voters defied expectations by backing Zohran Mamdani over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to new data. Eric Adams – New York’s second African-American mayor – had earlier abandoned his independent reelection bid due to low poll numbers. Now, Black community leaders and residents are assessing what the next four years could look like.
“I’m looking to the Mamdani administration, hopeful that the mayor-elect and his team are able to deliver on their vision for our city, one that uplifts and empowers Black and brown communities,” said in an email Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was reelected for a second term and will be the only Black citywide elected official.
“My hope is that the Mamdani administration chooses partnership over politics and action over rhetoric,” said Nicole Meyers, president of the NAACP’s Staten Island chapter. With an ambitious mayoral agenda that will require speed and focus, Meyers said “consistent, respectful, and proactive engagement with Black communities must be non-negotiable.”
Earlier this month, Mamdani attended the opening of the new National Urban League Empowerment Center in Harlem, along with Williams, Rev. Al Sharpton and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“I’m pleased so far, but we still have a long way to go,” Sharpton told reporters afterwards. “I think that we’re looking for diversity and I think that the mayor-elect has reached out and he’s getting the right counsel, so far. But the proof is in the pudding before I cut a slice.”
Mamdani has created a set of diverse transition committees to assist him with personnel decisions. In the next few weeks, he will have to put together his administration. His most prominent appointments so far are Dean Fuleihan – a government veteran – as first deputy mayor, and Elle Bisgaard-Church as chief of staff. And following his request, Jessica Tisch has decided to stay as police commissioner.
“As a mayor of a city, especially a city like New York, you are who you appoint. Who he decides to appoint is a very clear signal of what he values. If we see a cabinet of appointees that seem to be absent of Black faces, that matters,” said Jonathan Collins, professor of political science and education at Columbia University.
Despite the support, some Black voters are approaching the incoming mayor with caution and a certain degree of skepticism.
“I don’t have any expectations of him, because I think his agenda is too broad, too ambitious,” said Danny Blackmon, 72, a retired government employee, citing Mamdani’s limited experience in city government.
Mamdani was elected on platform focused on affordability and working class New Yorkers. One of his star proposals is freezing the rent for rent-stabilized apartments. Blackmon fears the burden could fall on middle-class New Yorkers like himself.
“For a city like New York, we need the revenue, so when you say you are going to freeze the rent, who’s subsidizing that? And are you raising taxes? So that’s what I’m thinking,” he said.
Collins said voters are justified in their “zero expectation” mindset, pointing to political fatigue and Mamdani’s not yet achieved proof of concept.
“Mamdani said a lot of things about affordability that, of course, resonate very well with Black New Yorkers, many of whom are not in a position to be on a pathway to intergenerational wealth, let alone manage the high cost of living in New York City,” said Collins.
“Actually, I have no expectations,” said Antonio Meyers Jr., a 56 year old retired NYPD officer. “The establishment is going to be against him. That’s just the bottom line,” he said.
Time will tell whether Mamdani’s momentum stays high or quickly fades once the realities of governing a complex and diverse New York City sink in.
“He’s up against islamophobia, he’s up against, you know, maybe Caucasians that are not feeling him so much, so he would have to lean on us and other communities to be successful or to have support,” Meyers Jr., said.
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