{"id":86916,"date":"2026-01-01T22:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/86916\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T22:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:05:08","slug":"no-compromise-at-inauguration-with-mandy-patinkin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/86916\/","title":{"rendered":"No Compromise at Inauguration With Mandy Patinkin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tBraving frigid temperatures outside of City Hall in lower Manhattan, newly inaugurated New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> in a rousing speech resisted calls for him to take a more moderate approach to governing than the one he took during his campaign.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cToday begins a new era,\u201d he said at the beginning of his New Year\u2019s Day address, saying those in attendance were \u201cwarmed against the January chill by the resurgent flame of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tReferencing those who advised him to use his inaugural address to \u201creset expecations\u201d for the people of New York about what he could accomplish as mayor, Mamdani defiantly insisted, \u201cI will do no such thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBeginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously,\u201d he added. \u201cWe may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a reference to New York\u2019s arts community, one of numerous call-outs to the diverse individuals across various industries who call the city home, Mamdani urged New Yorkers to expect the best from elected officials: \u201cWe expect greatness \u2026 from those who stride out onto Broadway stages \u2026 let us demand the same from those who work in government.\u201d He also thanked the performers at Thursday\u2019s public inauguration who shared their talent with the elected officials and large crowd of New Yorkers who filled the streets in lower Manhattan for what was billed as a celebratory block party.<\/p>\n

\n\tLater he added, \u201cI will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical,\u201d referencing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who administered Mamdani\u2019s public oath of office earlier in the event, previously saying, \u201cWhat\u2019s radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was elected as a Democratic Socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic Socialist,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n

\n\tHis administration, he said, will, to quote Jadakiss, \u201cbe outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn terms of specific policy proposals, Mamdani vowed to move forward with his plans for \u201cuniversal child care for the many by taxing the wealthiest few,\u201d freezing the rent and free buses.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThese policies are not simply about the costs we make free, but the lives we fill with freedom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking frequently of the city\u2019s eight-and-a-half million people and their individual striving\u2014\u00a0making specific references to the various workers in transportation, food services, construction and libraries \u2014\u00a0Mamdani vowed to be a mayor for all New Yorkers, whether they voted for him or not.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor,\u201d he said. \u201cRegardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never, not for a second, hide from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn answer to the question \u201cwho does New York belong to,\u201d Mamdani said the city, quoting South Africa\u2019s freedom charter, \u201cbelongs to all who live in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe future in Mamdani\u2019s New York, he said, \u201cwill be a tale of eight-and-a-half million cities, each of them a New Yorker with hopes and fears, each a universe, each of them woven together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe added, \u201cHere, where the language of the New Deal was born, we will return the vast resources of this city to the workers who call it home. Not only will we make it possible for every New Yorker to afford a life they love once again \u2014 we will overcome the isolation that too many feel, and connect the people of this city to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd Mamdani said the movement that powered him to victory \u201cdidn\u2019t end with the election\u201d but instead \u201clives on with every battle we will fight together. \u2026 No longer will we treat victory as an invitation to turn off the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe advocated for a \u201cgovernment by New York, of New York and for New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWrapping up, he spoke of how his New York could be a city on a hill.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else: We will set an example for the world,\u201d he said, aiming for a future like the one Frank Sinatra seeks in \u201cNew York, New York,\u201d where \u201canyone can make it in New York \u2014 and anywhere else too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMamdani\u2019s speech ended with a storm of blue and yellow confetti as he took the hand of his wife Rama Duwaji, and the pair waved to the crowd.<\/p>\n

\n\tMamdani was joined at the inaugural ceremony, where Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Mark Levine were also formally sworn in, by his family, including Duwaji and parents, filmmaker Mira Nair<\/a> and academic Mahmood Mamdani. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered opening remarks while Attorney General Letitia James swore in Levine. Other politicians spotted on the dais included outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe event, which Mamdani\u2019s star-studded inaugural committee<\/a> opened to all New Yorkers, also featured a number of entertainment industry figures. Hamilton and In the Heights actor Javier Mu\u00f1oz sang the National Anthem. Mandy Patinkin<\/a> sang \u201cOver the Rainbow\u201d along with a Staten Island elementary school chorus. And Lucy Dacus<\/a> performed the labor anthem \u201cBread and Roses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMore to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Braving frigid temperatures outside of City Hall in lower Manhattan, newly inaugurated New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[42016,38482,9,24,55,54,56,87,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-86916","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-lucy-dacus","9":"tag-mandy-patinkin","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","13":"tag-new-york-city-news","14":"tag-ny","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}