Mamdani Celebrates 100 Days in Office

Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated his 100 days in office on April 12, commemorating the milestone with an evening rally at the Knockdown Center in Queens.

Mamdani touted his administration’s accomplishments, including mundane but essential improvements, like filling potholes.

"We have proved that there is no task too small either," Mamdani said. "Because if the government can’t do the small things, how could you ever trust us to do the big ones? How can we promise to transform our city if we can’t pave your street?"

An attendee at the event, Cheryl Apicella, told WFUV News, that the little things, like fixing potholes, were a good start to the new Mayor’s tenure. "The day-to-day things really make an impact on us," she said. "We don’t think about it until we are in that position or affect us directly. I think just improving those things will make things feel a lot less hopeless."

The Mayor announced progress on his campaign promise to bring down grocery prices with city-owned stores. The inaugural location, Mamdani announced, would be La Marqueta in East Harlem.

La Marqueta is a city-owned marketplace with multiple privately-owned vendors operating inside. The Mamdani administration plans to open a new grocery store within La Marqueta next year.

"Making decent quality food affordable to all people is not only the right thing to do — at the end of the day, it's gonna save money,” said Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a Mamdani ally, who made a surprise guest appearance at the rally. "Making sure our kids eat healthy food is not a radical idea. It is what every government should be doing."

Mamdani also promised to cut down on commute times by expanding bus service into areas of the city where subway stations are sparse.

"We are talking about New Yorkers who have been often overlooked in our politics: disproportionately working-class Black, brown, outer-borough riders. The very New Yorkers who have been told to 'make do' riding the slowest buses in America. No longer!"

Another rally-goer, Nasrat Zahan, told WFUV News that she’s an immigrant and Muslim, similar to Mamdani.

"Seeing someone who looks like me and represents the city of New York, it’s great." Zahan said. "He’s on track to be the greatest mayor of New York City."