By Jim Thomas | Thursday, 01 January 2026 08:09 PM EST
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani moved quickly to assert control at City Hall, signing multiple executive orders hours after his inauguration that revoked prior mayoral directives and reorganized the Mayor’s Office under a new leadership team.
The first order immediately revoked all prior mayoral executive directives, canceling those issued before Sept. 26, 2024, as well as those still in effect after that date. Limited exceptions were made for emergency actions authorized under state law and for directives the administration reissues to keep city operations running.
The date is significant because it marks when then-President Joe Biden’s Justice Department unsealed an indictment accusing then-Mayor Eric Adams of allowing Turkish officials and businesspeople to buy influence through illegal campaign contributions and lavish overseas trips. The corruption case against Adams was later dismissed after President Donald Trump’s Justice Department moved to drop the charges, arguing the prosecution was hindering his ability to govern. A federal judge formally dismissed the indictment without addressing Adams’ guilt or innocence.
Mamdani’s order cleared the slate of directives from the prior administration, giving the new mayor wide latitude to reshape policy, internal governance, and administrative priorities across city agencies.
A second executive order establishes the structure and authority of the Mayor’s Office. It formally creates five deputy mayor positions, consolidating oversight of city agencies and centralizing reporting lines directly to the mayor. Under the order, Dean Fuleihan was appointed first deputy mayor, with broad authority to oversee policy coordination, budgetary management, and interagency operations. The order also names Leila Bozorg, an urban planner, as deputy mayor for housing and planning, overseeing housing agencies, land use policy, and development planning. Julie Su, former U.S. labor secretary, was appointed deputy mayor for economic justice, a role charged with embedding economic equity initiatives across agencies and supervising entities involved in workforce development, small business services, and economic development. Julia Kerson was named deputy mayor for operations, responsible for citywide infrastructure, environmental services, transportation, and day-to-day municipal operations. Helen Arteaga was appointed deputy mayor for health and human services, overseeing public health, social services, and related agencies.
The order outlines extensive authority for each deputy mayor, including the ability to supervise agencies, execute agreements on behalf of the mayor, and coordinate policy implementation across departments, subject to applicable law.
