New York, NY — New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has unveiled an all-female transition team as he prepares to take office on January 1, 2026, marking the start of what he called “a new era for our city.”
At a press conference in Queens, Mamdani said his administration will focus on building “a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign.” He pledged to assemble a leadership group that is “equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”
The 34-year-old Democratic socialist will make history as New York’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage, the first born in Africa, and the youngest mayor in more than a century. “We owe it to this city to be ready on January 1,” he said. “We have 57 days to start doing the work of preparing.”
Mamdani named Elana Leopold, a veteran political consultant, as executive director of the transition team. The co-chairs include Maria Torres-Springer, former first deputy mayor; Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission; Grace Bonilla, CEO of United Way of New York City; and Melanie Hartzog, former deputy mayor for health and human services.
Khan, known for her aggressive antitrust stance under former President Joe Biden, joins a team Mamdani described as united “by their commitment to solving old problems with new solutions.”
The mayor-elect reaffirmed his campaign commitments, including a citywide rent freeze, free bus service, universal childcare, and the creation of city-run grocery stores funded by new taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
Mamdani also invited grassroots donors to support his transition efforts, saying it will be “funded by the very people who brought us to this point — the working people who have been left behind by the politics of the city.”
Asked about potential talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, Mamdani said he would engage “on any issue that benefits the people of this city.”
“As New York celebrates the inauguration of a new administration,” he concluded, “let us also celebrate the beginning of a new era for our city.”