NEW YORK (WABC) — Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be sworn into office Jan. 1 during a two-part inauguration that includes a midnight ceremony and block party outside City Hall, his transition team announced Sunday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James will administer the oath of office at midnight and will be joined by the Mamdani’s family. Later in the day, Senator Bernie Sanders will give the oath again during a public ceremony on the steps of City Hall.
The event will be followed by a citywide inaugural block party which organizers say will be open to all New Yorkers.
Mamdani said the celebration is designed to ensure that all New Yorkers are able to take part in ushering in a new era for New York City.
Traditionally, mayoral inaugurations have been held in City Hall Plaza for some 4,000 ticketed guests.
This year, organizers say the event will go past the plaza to include large viewing areas along Broadway, allowing the public to participate without tickets.
As for Mamdani’s transition into office, the mayor-elect says his transition advisory committee is as diverse as the city itself, with a wide variety of opinions, but there’s a limit.
“There’s no tolerance for antisemitism,” he said.
The committee is advising the incoming administration, but on Monday night, the Anti-Defamation League said 20% of the committee’s 400 members should raise red flags.
“The sheer number of individuals with a history of concerning behavior or associations… individuals who have engaged in some type of antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel activities and/or have ties to groups that engage in such activities,” the ADL said.
Last week, the city’s first Muslim mayor-elect was quick to accept the resignation of one appointee after the ADL revealed her antisemitic social media posts going back to 2011.
Over the weekend, he posted a video celebrating Hannukah with actor Mandy Patinkin. On Monday, he suggested that the ADL’s focus is too broad.
“We must distinguish between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government. The ADL report oftentimes ignores this distinction,” he said.
ADL officials insist it’s not that simple.
“If it’s antisemitic, in his view, he will most certainly condemn it, and we appreciate that,” said ADL Regional Executive Director Scott Richman. “It’s just that his view of what’s antisemitism is less expansive than what the mainstream Jewish communities’ views of what is antisemitism.”
On Monday, Mamdani appointed Sam Levine as commissioner of the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Levine defended his new boss.
“I was on the transition committee. I’m also a Jewish New Yorker,” Levine said. “I have every confidence that the mayor-elect would be a mayor for all New Yorkers.If I had any doubt whatsoever, I would not be standing here today.”
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