Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday he will retain four senior officials from the outgoing Adams administration, signaling continuity in key areas of public health, forensic investigations, city contracting and City Hall operations as he prepares to take office later this week.
Mamdani said he plans to renominate Dr. Mitchell Katz to continue leading NYC Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal health care system, and to reappoint Dr. Jason K. Graham as the city’s chief medical examiner. He will also keep Michael Garner as chief business diversity officer and Mir Bashar as chief administrative officer.
“These reappointments reflect my commitment to steady, experienced leadership that delivers real results for New Yorkers,” said Mamdani. “I’m proud to welcome these dedicated public servants into my administration to continue their work making New York City safer and healthier.”
Katz, who has run NYC Health + Hospitals since 2017, would need approval from the system’s board to remain president and CEO. His renomination comes as the public hospital network prepares for a major expansion with the planned merger of Maimonides Medical Center into the city system.
That deal, which must be approved by state Attorney General Letitia James, is intended to stabilize the financially struggling Brooklyn medical center and could be completed as early as April 2026, according to city officials.
Under Katz, NYC Health + Hospitals navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and expanded services for uninsured residents through NYC Care, a program that now serves more than 100,000 people. The system employs more than 40,000 workers across 11 hospitals, nursing facilities, community clinics and related services.
Graham, first appointed chief medical examiner in 2022, oversees investigations into deaths across New York City and runs what officials describe as the nation’s largest public DNA laboratory. A longtime veteran of the medical examiner’s office, Graham has focused much of his work on overdose deaths and the city’s response to the opioid crisis, coordinating with local, state and federal agencies.
The mayor-elect also said Garner will remain in his role overseeing efforts to increase contracting opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses. Garner, appointed to the post in 2023, has credited new programs with generating tens of billions of dollars in payments to certified businesses statewide and citywide. Before joining City Hall, he spent more than a decade in senior diversity roles at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Bashar, who has served as chief administrative officer since 2022, will continue managing the day-to-day operations of City Hall, including budgets, contracts and internal administration. He previously worked on budget and financial planning under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
In the final days of the transition, Mamdani has continued to fill out his inner circle, most recently naming Sam Levine, the former director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, to lead the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. He has also tapped Lillian Bonsignore, a 31-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, to lead the FDNY as its second-ever female commissioner
Monday’s reappointments come as Mamdani is set to take office early Thursday. He will take the oath of office just after midnight Jan. 1 during a private ceremony at the Old City Hall subway station, joined by Attorney General James, who will swear the new mayor in, according to his transition team.
Public inaugural events are scheduled later that day. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to administer the oath during a public ceremony at 1 p.m. on Jan. 1, following tradition on the steps of City Hall.
In addition to the ticketed ceremony, Mamdani announced earlier this month that he will host a public block party along a stretch of Broadway near City Hall, part of the historic Canyon of Heroes
