By: Key Jones-Ford
New York City (NYC) Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 100th day in office was on April 10, 2026, and he has been busy and proactive since his inauguration.
Mamdani has focused most of his work on the city’s day-to-day issues and infrastructure. His “Pothole Blitz” campaign to fix city streets in the aftermath of the harsh winter storms NYC experienced was a primary focus, ending in Mamdani filling the final pothole on Staten Island himself.
He has also begun to fulfill his other campaign promises, such as expanding universal childcare. In collaboration with Governor Kathy Hochul, he introduced a new program that provides expanded support for childcare in the city. This includes expanding the number of available seats and a full-year program to meet the needs of NYC’s families with children aged six weeks to five years.
Additionally, he has held to his promise of fighting for and supporting workers’ rights, holding a press conference announcing a $2 million settlement for over 800 fast-food workers. The settlement was in conjunction with multiple violations of the “Fair Workweek Law,” stating that all fast food restaurants must provide clear and stable communication of scheduling and schedule changes.
Mamdani’s first challenge upon the start of his term was addressing the $12 billion budget deficit left behind by former mayor Eric Adams. According to Spectrum News, the gap is now closer to $5.4 billion and must be closed further by the end of June 2026 to pass a balanced budget.
Governor Kathy Hochul has agreed with him on a yearly tax surcharge for secondary luxury rentals that are not used as the owner’s primary residences. This 5% “pied-à-terre” tax is the first of its kind for NYC, projected to generate $500 million in annual revenue, according to The Mayor’s Office
“If you can afford a $5 million second home that sits empty most of the year, you can afford to contribute like every other New Yorker,” Hochul said during the press conference in which the surcharge was announced.
Mamdani also announced his plans to open a city-owned grocery store in East Harlem, the first of five he plans to open by the end of his first term. allocating $70 million towards the project. This is part of his affordability plan for the city, with the market specifically addressing food insecurity. The model for the program involves the city overseeing construction and property of the land, with a private operator chosen through proposal requests being responsible for daily operations.
The first site will operate within “La Marqueta,” a public market constructed by the city to provide its citizens with fresh and local food, often centered on the communities that settled around the market. There are five other public markets, all operated under the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
“A public option allows us to intervene where the market has failed,” Mamdani said during the announcement on April 14. “We cannot accept a status quo where even the most fundamental needs — putting food on the table — feel out of reach. This is about ensuring that every New Yorker, regardless of income or ZIP code, has access to fresh, healthy food at a price they can afford.”
Mamdani voted to block the expansion of the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFEHPS) housing voucher program. This program allows low-income New Yorkers to receive housing and rent support to prevent entering the shelter system. He ran his initial campaign on expanding CityFEHPS and on housing justice in general.
In January, he signed an executive order to establish “Rental Ripoff Hearings.”
These hearings allowed renters across the five boroughs to speak directly with officials about their housing grievances, ranging from poor building conditions to abusive landlords. The goal of the hearings is for city council members to shape better housing policies and protections based on renters’ experiences.
By blocking the expansion of CityFEHPS, it appears that Mamdani is backtracking on his promises.
Mamdani cited the city’s unexpected budget deficit as the reason for his decision and vowed to revisit it later to find alternatives for affordable housing.
“I am deeply committed to ending the homelessness crisis in the city. I’m appreciative of the fact that that is a commitment shared by many New Yorkers, elected officials, and beyond. And also, I’m committed to doing so in a manner that is sustainable for both the medium and the long term.”
Mamdani has also raised some eyebrows with his confirmation that he and his wife, Rama Duwanji, would not be attending the 2026 Met Gala, the annual fundraiser held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
According to The New York Times, the mayor of NYC is always invited by former Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Former NYC mayors Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio, and Eric Adams attended during their terms. Attendance is not a requirement of the mayor and is simply a tradition.
Mamdani did not give a direct answer to his reasons for not attending. The New York Times commented that his presence at the event would be “out of place” given his commitment to taxing the rich.
According to a Marist poll, Mamdani has a 48% approval rating, an 18-point improvement from citizens’ initial thoughts of him when he was first elected.
Mamdani still has several other campaign promises to fulfill, including an improved transit system, raising the minimum wage to $30, and fully supporting the New Deal for CUNY. The Vanguard has reached out to Mamdani for comment; no response has been received.
The New York City Government website has a dedicated map for everything Mamdani and his administration have done in their first 100 days.