‘The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations,’ New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in his inaugural address.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order on Jan. 1 that will undo orders his predecessor, Eric Adams, issued after being indicted on bribery and corruption charges in September 2024.
The order, which went into effect immediately, is among a series of executive actions Mamdani signed on his first day in office after being sworn in as the city’s mayor on Jan. 1.
His office stated that the order would rescind executive actions issued by Adams on or after Sept. 26, 2024, when the outgoing mayor was indicted on bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy offenses. It did not list the specific executive orders to be revoked.
Orders likely to be revoked include a directive Adams issued on Dec. 3, 2025, which barred agency staff and mayoral appointees from engaging in procurement practices that discriminate against Israel and Israeli citizens.
Another affected order, issued by Adams that same day, directed the New York Police Department commissioner to evaluate proposals for regulating protest activity near houses of worship to protect freedom of speech.
Mamdani told reporters on Jan. 1 that he intends to keep the Mayor’s Office to Combat Anti-Semitism, established by Adams in May 2025. Adams issued the first mayoral report on anti-Semitism one day before Mamdani was sworn in, highlighting the need to tackle anti-Semitism in the city.
“That is an issue that we take seriously, and it’s part of the commitment that we’ve made to Jewish New Yorkers to not only protect them, but to celebrate and cherish them,” the new mayor said.
In his inaugural address, Mamdani emphasized that his administration would not “hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.”
“The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations,” he said during his inauguration ceremony at City Hall. “Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed. But never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.”
