On the first freezing winter day of 2026, surrounded by thousands of cheering New Yorkers and progressive Democratic allies, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to tell a "new story of our city".
"City Hall will deliver an agenda of safety, affordability, and abundance - where government looks and lives like the people it represents," he told the crowd in his inaugural address.
It was the same message that propelled the 34-year-old Democratic socialist to an unexpected electoral victory in November. His pitch to lead the most expensive US city included big changes, such as universal childcare, free public buses and city-run grocery stores.
But the mayor is likely to encounter several challenges in trying to deliver on these promises, and he'll need to keep on board other important political stakeholders - beginning on his first full day in office.
"He'll put all of his political and other might behind getting these things accomplished," said Patrick Egan, a professor of politics and public policy at New York University. But, he said, New York City is "a big place, it's a complicated place, and so, all bets are off about whether these things can happen or not".
