Mayor-elect Mamdani says he’s still interested in keeping NYPD Commissioner Tisch – but offers no details on retention efforts

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani introduced key members of his incoming administration on Monday — but continued to dodge questions about whether Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will remain as the city’s top law enforcement official under his leadership.

Mamdani has repeatedly expressed interest in retaining Tisch, Mayor Eric Adams’ fourth police commissioner, highlighting her efforts to combat corruption within the NYPD. He has stated as early as Oct. 22, in a New York Times report published before that night’s second and final mayoral debate, that he intends to keep her in the role while pursuing broader reforms, including the creation of a new Department of Public Safety.

However, nearly three weeks after the report was released, Tisch has not publicly stated whether she plans to stay, and Mamdani has not confirmed whether the two have discussed the role directly.

Throughout the mayoral race and during the transition, the commissioner has repeatedly declined to comment on her future, saying it would be inappropriate to take part in political discussions.

Asked again on Monday whether he had spoken with Tisch or whether his push to retain her had been successful, Mamdani offered no new clarity.

“I continue to retain my interest in keeping Commissioner Jessica Tisch,” he said on Nov. 11.

Tisch, who has overseen a decline in city-wide crime levels, has emerged as a popular figure within the NYPD. Before succeeding interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon to become the city’s second female police commissioner, Tisch served as Mayor Eric Adams’s sanitation commissioner.

Tisch previously held several civilian roles in the police department, but was never a uniformed officer. Prior to her service in the Adams administration, she was the deputy commissioner of information technology under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Some police department officials, speaking anonymously to amNewYork last week, said they believe Tisch may be considering a future mayoral run of her own, while others suggested she may choose to step down, citing differences in values and background with Mamdani.

However, Crain’s New York reported last week that Tisch has told associates she would be willing to serve in a Mamdani administration.

The question of whether the top cop will stay comes after her extended family was part of the billionaire class that made significant donations to Fix the City, a super PAC that opposed Mamdani’s candidacy.

Campaign finance records show members of the Tisch family contributed more than $1.3 million to the group. The police commissioner is the daughter of Loews Corp. Chief Executive James Tisch, who did not contribute to the Super PAC.

When asked whether those donations signaled Tisch’s lack of interest in remaining police commissioner, Mamdani dismissed the idea. “I am not hiring the family,” he told CNN.

On Monday, Mamdani said additional leadership appointments are expected in the coming weeks as he prepares to “usher in a new day for New York.” He did not rule out retaining other top officials from the Adams administration across city agencies.

“At the heart of these announcements is a commitment to excellence, and excellence requires that you assess individuals on the basis of the work they have done,” Mamdani said. “If there are those who have done their job particularly well within the Adams administration, they will be considered all the same.”