New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced an all-female transition team on Wednesday as he begins assembling what he described as the most ambitious municipal administration in a generation. The 34-year-old democratic socialist, who will become the city’s first Muslim and first mayor of South Asian heritage, said his team is designed to “build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign.”
Speaking at a press conference in Queens, Mamdani introduced Elana Leopold as executive director of the transition team, with Maria Torres-Springer, the city’s former first deputy mayor, and Lina Khan, the former Federal Trade Commission chair under President Joe Biden, serving as co-chairs. They will be joined by Grace Bonilla, president and CEO of United Way, and Melanie Hartzog, former deputy mayor for health and human services.
“In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” Mamdani said. “We will form an administration 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.”
Mamdani’s choice of Khan — known for her aggressive antitrust stance at the FTC and her popularity among both progressives and populist conservatives — signals his intention to bring reform-minded figures into leadership positions. The mayor-elect said the team’s goal is to ensure readiness by January 1, when he will officially take office.
“We owe it to this city to be ready on January 1 to start delivering,” Mamdani told reporters. “We have 57 days, and those are 57 days to start the work of preparing.”
Mamdani’s victory over Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa marks a historic moment in New York politics, making him the youngest mayor in more than a century and the first born in Africa to lead the city. However, his administration will inherit a host of challenges, including tensions with President Donald Trump, who has publicly threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City under Mamdani’s leadership.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote that if Mamdani became mayor, “it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required,” while labeling him a “communist.” Federal funding currently makes up approximately 6.4% of the city’s $115 billion budget, or about $7.4 billion.
The campaign period saw a surge of Islamophobic attacks directed at Mamdani, who became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Lawmakers including Randy Fine, Andy Ogles, and Chip Roy criticized his candidacy, with some calling for his deportation. A report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate found that Islamophobic posts about Mamdani rose 450% between September and October.
Despite the hostility, Mamdani reiterated his focus on uniting New Yorkers. “I’m confident in delivering these same policies that we ran on for the last year,” he said. “No matter what your politics, we’re all facing the same issues.”
Mamdani campaigned on a sweeping progressive agenda including a rent freeze, free bus service, universal childcare, and city-run grocery stores, all financed through higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy. His campaign broke fundraising records, amassing over $20 million in small donations averaging just $80.
The transition announcement comes amid broader Democratic victories across the country, including gubernatorial wins by Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, and the approval of California’s Proposition 50, a redistricting measure aimed at strengthening Democratic congressional prospects.
Mamdani’s incoming administration will begin naming deputy mayors and commissioners in the coming days. “Some of these people will have familiar names, others will not,” he said. “But what will unite them all is a commitment to solving old problems with new solutions.”
“As our city celebrates the inauguration of a new administration,” Mamdani added, “let us also celebrate the beginning of a new era for New York — one we all feel invested in and whose success we all work to achieve.”
