Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams just tried to thwart one of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s trademark proposals: freezing rents for around 1 million rent-stabilized units in the city.
Less than two weeks before exiting City Hall, Adams on Thursday, Dec. 18, announced four appointments to the Rent Guidelines Board, after most of the nine-member board’s terms expired. Adams, a one-term centrist Democratic mayor, has opposed Mamdani’s rent freeze proposal.
Mamdani, who will be sworn in Jan. 1, campaigned on addressing affordability for New Yorkers and would need the board, which sets annual rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments, to vote every year against raising rents.
“We’re using every tool in our toolbox to tackle our city’s housing crisis, and that includes appointing smart, seasoned experts to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board,” Adams said in a statement.
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New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani arrives for a press conference at City Hall Park on Nov. 20, 2025 in New York. US President Donald Trump said he will host New York’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for a meeting Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 after fiercely attacking the 34-year-old self-described Democratic Socialist during his recent campaign.
A City Hall news release said Adams reappointed two current members and appointed two others who “reflect the Adams administration’s ongoing commitment to affordable housing and evidence-based policymaking.”
Mamdani, the democratic socialist mayor-elect, said he was just as committed to a four-year rent freeze for over 2 million tenants who live in rent-stabilized units, which are typically in older buildings and tend to be more affordable than market-rate units. Over 40% of the city’s rental apartments are rent-stabilized, accounting for about one-fourth of citywide housing stock, according to the New York University Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
“We will use all the tools at our disposal to deliver it and last minute appointments do not change these facts,” Mamdani said in a statement.
A majority vote on the Rent Guidelines Board could kneecap a rent freeze in the beginning of Mamdani’s administration. Six board members’ terms are expired, and Adams’ tenure has seen the Rent Guidelines Board increase rents each year.
Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, speaks as NJ/NY Gotham FC receives a recognition at City Hall during the NWSL 2025 Champions Parade at City Hall Park of NJ/NY Gotham FC on Nov. 24, 2025 in New York City. NJ/NY Gotham FC defeated Washington Spirit 1-0 on Nov. 22.
Adams’ reappointments include New York University finance professor Arpit Gupta and real estate lawyer Christina Smyth, who advocates said previously supported rent hikes. Adams also appointed Sagar Sharma, a housing legal services deputy director, and Lliam Finn, a Merrill Lynch financial adviser.
A reality television star and real estate broker previously confirmed to USA TODAY that the Adams’ administration had tapped her to join the board. City Hall said Adams reserved the right to act before he left office.
Critics of Mamdani’s rent freeze say increases help pay for rising costs and maintenance of apartment units.
“We hope the new RGB members take into account the risk of deterioration and eventual destruction of stabilized housing when they come to a decision next year,” Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association, which represents property owners, said in a statement. “We also know that the RGB members cannot save rent-stabilized housing on their own. City and state elected officials must do more to reduce costs.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, right, and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, in a suit underneath an apron, serve Thanksgiving meals in Harlem on Nov. 27, 2025.
The New York Apartment Association has called on government to help with operating costs while increasing housing supply. Adams has touted increases in new housing built. Mamdani has pledged to continue increasing housing construction. New York City rents are notoriously high, averaging over $4,000 per month on Apartments.com, while it has a record low vacancy rate of around 1.4%, according to city data.
Under Adams’ predecessor, former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Rent Guidelines Board froze rent three times in his eight-year tenure. During Adams’ four-year term, which coincided with a high rate of inflation, the board never froze rents.
Tenant advocacy groups had already expressed concern on Adams’ potential actions, pointing to a 12% increase in rents throughout his mayoralty. But they say those increases only go to increasing profits of landlords while renters struggle with rising cost of living.
“A rent freeze is not a political luxury − it is a lifeline for countless New Yorkers,” the nonprofit Legal Aid Society said in a statement. “In the communities we serve, many families are just one paycheck away from eviction.”
In the November general election, over 1 million New Yorkers voted for Mamdani, noted Sumathy Kumar, managing director of the New York State Tenant Bloc, which organized renters to support Mamdani in the June Democratic primary.
“Tenants are the majority in New York − and we’re winning a rent freeze,” she said in a statement.
However, nearly just as many voted for Mamdani’s opponents, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who Adams endorsed, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
The Rent Guidelines Board meets to determine possible rent increases every year in June.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How NYC Mayor Adams can thwart Zohran Mamdani before leaving office