Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, marked the 31st and 32nd days of Zohran Mamdani’s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office as we closely track his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city’s finances. Here’s a summary of what the mayor did yesterday and today.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani hit the one-month mark of his first term as mayor over the weekend, ringing in February with five key agency appointments.
Mamdani appointed on Saturday Alister Martin, an emergency room physician, as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Stanley Richards, a jail reform advocate, as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction. Richards is the first formerly incarcerated individual to serve as Corrections Commissioner.
The mayor also appointed Yesenia Mata, an advocate for immigrants and veterans, as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services; Sandra Escamilla-Davies, a longtime social worker, as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development; and Vilda Vera Mayuga, a civil rights lawyer, as Commissioner of the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.
“New York City is built on the often unseen work of public servants who show up every day to care for our neighbors, support our young people, and make government work for the people who rely on it most,” Mamdani said at the Saturday announcement. “Today, we are entrusting five dedicated leaders with the responsibility to carry that work forward.”
Martin discussed the importance of affordable, accessible healthcare in New York City, echoing core tenets of Mamdani’s affordability agenda. In addition to his work as a physician, Martin is the founder and CEO of A Healthier Democracy, a nonprofit healthcare organization based out of Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change. He is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
Richards previously served as the executive vice president of the Fortune Society, which helps individuals reenter society after incarceration. He was recognized by President Barack Obama as a Champion for Change for his work in criminal justice reform.
“This appointment is an opportunity to lead from the top, advocating for both incarcerated individuals and correction officers to create safer jails and real pathways to rehabilitation,” Richards said at the Saturday announcement.
More information about each of the appointments can be found here.
Cold snap continues, death toll rises to 14
Mamdani continued to manage the deadly freeze that has settled over New York City and that, so far, has resulted in the deaths of 14 New Yorkers. The mayor announced that the city’s warming centers will incorporate single-room units for New Yorkers in need of shelter.
He lauded the city employees who have been “digging our city out from underneath the snow” for a week. The city has melted over 67 million pounds of snow and laid over 188 million pounds of salt since a blizzard hit the city last Sunday, Mamdani said.
“The numbers tell a story of incredible commitment,” he said at a Saturday news conference, noting that 1,200 more city workers joined the snow removal efforts this weekend.
Amid the massive response, however, the city continues to see cold-related deaths. The stretch of cold has been brutal and sustained, with temperatures remaining below freezing for days on end and set to remain so for well over another week. The temperature frequently dips far into the single digits at night.
In anticipation of the storm and the cold, the city declared a Code Blue, which triggers homeless outreach and requires all shelters to take in anybody seeking refuge from the cold. The city opened up 10 warming centers across the five boroughs last weekend, and now has 20 warming buses parked throughout the city.
Mamdani said that the city will now incorporate single-room options for individuals who are reluctant to go to warming centers because they feel uncomfortable sharing a space with others.
“By making new single-room units available, we are meeting people where they are and removing barriers that keep too many New Yorkers out in the cold,” Mamdani said Saturday, announcing the new units alongside New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park.
The new shelter units opened Sunday in Upper Manhattan.
