New York City witnessed a high-voltage transfer of power as Zohran Mamdani was formally sworn in as Mayor, marking the beginning of a new political era at City Hall. The grand inauguration ceremony also saw New York Attorney General Letitia James administer the oath of office to NYC Controller Mark Levine, cementing the city’s top financial watchdog under the new administration.
The event brought together key political heavyweights, progressive leaders, and supporters, underscoring the reshaping of New York’s leadership structure ahead of major policy battles on housing, policing, immigration, and fiscal oversight. With Mamdani taking charge and Levine confirmed as Controller, the ceremony signals a coordinated push toward governance reforms and accountability.
00:09I am so proud to be here today to usher in a new day for New York City.
00:14And today it is my honor and my privilege to swear in someone who has been a champion for tenants.
00:21A fearless fighter for working people in every corner of our city.
00:25My friend and the next controller of New York City, Mark Levine.
00:34It is truly my honor and my privilege to administer his oath of office.
00:40Controller-elect Levine, please raise your right hand and repeat after me.
00:46I, Mark Levine, do solemnly swear that I will support
00:53That I will support
00:54The Constitution of the United States
00:56The Constitution of the United States
00:58The Constitution of the State of New York
01:00The Constitution of the State of New York
01:02And I will faithfully discharge the duties
01:04And I will faithfully discharge the duties
01:07Of the controller of the city of New York
01:09Of the controller of the city of New York
01:11According to the best of my ability
01:13According to the best of my ability
01:15Congratulations, Mr. Controller.
01:16All right, well, there's no going back.
01:30Give it up for the best Attorney General in America, Tish James.
01:37Give it up for the PS-22 Chorus.
01:41All the way from Staten Island to Staten Island in the house.
01:44The rest are stuck on the ferry. All right.
01:51Thank you to my wonderful family, my wife, Ivelisse, and our sons, Alejandro and Daniel.
01:56I love you so, so much.
01:59Thank you to my partners in city government, our new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and public advocate, Jumaane Williams.
02:07How remarkable is it that on these steps today, we have three swearing Zen, one by a leader using a Koran, one by a leader using a Christian Bible, and one by a leader using a Humash or Hebrew Bible.
02:27I am proud, proud to live in a city where this is possible.
02:32Now, for those of you who do not know Spanish, Hebrew, or Greek, welcome.
02:58Thank you, and please download Duolingo.
03:04Now, I know what you're all thinking.
03:07What the heck is a comptroller?
03:09Excellent question.
03:11This job is about ensuring that people who have spent their lives working for this city can retire with dignity.
03:19It's about ensuring that our budget reflects our values, that our government inspires the trust of its people.
03:27A comptroller also understands the consequences for working-class families when they are excluded from our economic system.
03:35I have seen this in my own neighborhood of Washington Heights, where far too many families for far too long have been held back from achieving their dreams, blocked from banks, and forced to rely instead on pawn shops and loan sharks.
03:52Back in the 1990s, I found a community credit union in Uptown to change this.
03:58This financial cooperative, owned by the community, has lent out over $100 million in small loans in the neighborhood with a 98% repayment rate, proving that when you give working people an opportunity, they will seize it.
04:14This is what our city must do now on a grand scale, build an economy where we care for each other, where our prosperity is shared, where everyone has a fair shot.
04:27Our city today is booming for people at the top, but it's getting tougher and tougher for working families to pay their rent, to find a job with a living wage, and, yes, Mr. Mayor, to find affordable childcare.
04:41A comptroller must use the tools of the office to close this gap, and I will.
04:48We will invest tens of millions of dollars in new units of affordable housing to build all over the five boroughs.
04:56We'll make sure that housing is actually built, no matter the opposition from entrenched constituencies.
05:02We'll use the powers of oversight in the comptroller's office to ensure that the city keeps its promises,
05:08that it delivers the highest quality city services, that every non-profit with a city contract actually gets paid on time.
05:18Wow.
05:19Very big applause line.
05:20Note that, Mr. Mayor.
05:21We've got to work on that.
05:23We will secure full funding for legal services for New Yorkers facing eviction,
05:28so that, at last, our city lives up to its obligations under our first-in-the-nation right-to-counsel-law-for-tenants.
05:36Right, Vanessa Gibson?
05:38You on board for that?
05:39We will invest in protecting our imperiled planet by accelerating our city's transition to green energy,
05:46so that one day, when we look at New York from above, we will see a city full of solar panels and trees.
05:54We will protect the immigrants of this city so that families are not ripped apart by masked, unnamed government agents.
06:09And we will seek to understand each other.
06:13Though we will not always see the world the same way,
06:16we can and must ensure that all New Yorkers feel safe and respected,
06:22whether they're entering a house of worship, lighting a menorah in public,
06:27or saying the Salah prayer anywhere in this city.
06:31Our city government can and must take on the challenges of this moment.
06:37But to do that, we need a better city government,
06:40one that uses the tools of the modern era,
06:43a government freed from the worst limitations of bureaucracy,
06:48one nimble enough to move fast during a period of accelerating change,
06:53and to capitalize on the new promises of technology while protecting against its perils.
07:00No other city on Earth has this many lives, languages, and dreams in one place.
07:06Our task now is to ensure that this will be a city where all of us, together, can achieve those dreams.
07:14Almost 30 years ago, I stood in a small storefront in Washington Heights,
07:20helping immigrant neighbors open their first savings accounts.
07:24They trusted us with their dreams.
07:26A small business, a child's education, a home of their own.
07:30Today, you have entrusted me with something far greater,
07:33to safeguard the resources and the future of this entire city.
07:37I promise you, I will honor that trust every single day.
07:42Muchísimas gracias.
07:44Toda Rabah.
07:45If Christopoli.
07:46Thank you so much.
07:47Subscribe to OneIndia and never miss an update.
Be the first to comment