Clash of the Mayors: Mamdani to review Adams’ executive order barring Israel boycotts

Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani left open the possibility Thursday of reversing some of outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ executive orders, including the most recent barring city agencies and pension funds from boycotting or divesting from Israel-linked entities.

Mayor Adams signed an order on Wednesday barring city agencies and pension funds from boycotting or divesting from entities tied to Israel. The move followed his recent trip to New Orleans for the Combatting Antisemitism Movement conference and came a month after he visited Israel.

Speaking at the Staten Island Zoo on Thursday, Adams defended the measure, stating that the city should be free to invest in institutions that advance science and improve the quality of life. “Politics should not get in the way,” he said. “We have to stop believing that we are on an island; no, we are all connected.”

Adams dismissed suggestions that he was trying to undermine his successor.

On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams dismissed suggestions that he was trying to undermine his successor, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

“I’m not trying to overshadow him,” he said of Mamdani. “I’m just trying to finish up my last twenty-something days. I want the mayor to succeed, but I’m not going to disappear.”

Adams noted that Mamdani will have the power to make his own decisions once in office. “If the incoming administration wants to reverse them, that is on their watch,” he said.

Mamdani, who has been sharply critical of the Israeli government and previously supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, did not rule out revoking the orders on Thursday.

“The mayor is free to issue as many executive orders as he’d like with the less than 30 days he has in office,” he said. “And then we will be taking a look at every single one once we enter City Hall.”

The issue of investment in Israeli bonds became a flashpoint during the recent election season, with incoming Comptroller Mark Levine pledging to reinvest millions of dollars in Israeli bonds, reversing outgoing Comptroller Brad Lander’s decision to let the long-standing investments lapse.

Mamdani says would ‘let the mayor speak for himself’

At Thursday’s press conference, Mamdani and members of his transition team offered hot chocolate to supporters who lined up more for a chance to grab a selfie with the new mayor than a warm libation.

Mamdani returned repeatedly to housing and affordability during the event, framing them as central pillars of his incoming administration.

He reaffirmed his pledge to freeze rent for more than 2 million rent-stabilized tenants, stating that residents have faced increases of over 12% in recent years.

“Stability is the reason many New Yorkers can stay in their homes,” he said.

The mayor-elect said he remains optimistic about his ability to deliver a rent freeze, telling reporters that in his recent meeting with Mayor Adams, reports that Hizzoner has been trying to pack the Rent Guidelines Board before leaving office to stymie Mamdani’s plans did not come up.

On policing, Mamdani said he supports maintaining the NYPD’s budgeted headcount at about 35,000 officers and noted the department has struggled to reach that number.

“I think if we’re struggling to even higher up to that amount, I think ideas of extending it beyond that are not reckoning with the reality,” he said.

He declined to comment on whether Adams’ late-term decision to add 5,000 uniformed officers to the force by 2029 was intended to complicate the transition.

When asked again whether he believes the mayor is trying to “sandbag” him before he enters office, Mamdani said he “would let the mayor speak for himself.”