As Zohran Mamdani prepares to step into the role of Mayor this January, he faces the dual challenge of harnessing New York City’s immense potential and tackling the deep-rooted public skepticism surrounding City Hall.
The administration of Mayor Adams was plagued by a series of ethical controversies that were unprecedented in scale. The number of senior city officials who faced indictment or were compelled to resign due to ethical breaches under Adams outnumbered those from the combined tenures of the previous four New York mayors. The scandals ranged from federal probes into campaign financing and contract dealings to the inappropriate use of public resources for political agendas, severely undermining public trust in the government.
Mamdani, who emerged as a formidable candidate despite being an outsider to the political establishment, may represent a fresh start for reform. With fewer connections to traditional power brokers and major financial interests than any recent mayor, Mamdani’s leadership presents a unique chance to recalibrate the dynamics of influence and access within city governance.
However, after years dominated by reports of unethical conduct and administrative failings, regaining public trust will demand more than just a change in leadership or persuasive words. It will require a steadfast commitment to establishing transparent, ethical, and accountable governance standards.
A newly released report from Citizens Union outlines a comprehensive strategy for ushering in a new reform era in New York. The report addresses five critical issues highlighted by recent scandals: nepotism in appointments, inadequate lobbying regulation, weakened oversight bodies, declining transparency standards, and self-serving political maneuvers.
One of the key steps forward is ensuring that city officials are appointed based on merit rather than political allegiance. The incoming administration should implement safeguards for appointees with private-sector affiliations to prevent conflicts of interest and restrict the use of city legal resources for personal matters, thereby closing the revolving door between public service and private interests.
Mamdani’s willingness to retain capable officials from the Adams administration, like Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, is an encouraging sign that experience and effectiveness will guide decision-making in City Hall going forward.
Lobbying in the city has become increasingly supercharged and underregulated, allowing those with access and money to exert outsized influence. Disclosure of meetings with lobbyists should be restored, bundling and revolving-door practices restricted, and oversight transferred to the Conflicts of Interest Board, an independent body better equipped to enforce accountability.
Just as important is strengthening the city’s internal watchdogs. Oversight agencies like the Department of Investigation, the Conflicts of Interest Board, and the Civilian Complaint Review Board have been chronically underfunded and politically sidelined. These institutions exist to protect the public from corruption, yet budget cuts and pressure from City Hall often hinder their work.
The new administration should guarantee the independence of these monitors, fully fund their operations, and create a Procurement Ethics Task Force to ensure city contracts are awarded fairly and transparently. A robust oversight infrastructure is essential to preventing the kinds of abuses that have undermined City Hall’s credibility.
Transparency must also be restored. In recent years, Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests have been ignored or delayed, and access to city officials has been sharply limited. A democracy cannot function in darkness. Mamdani should recommit to full FOIL compliance, ensure that information is readily accessible to the public, and restore regular press briefings to keep New Yorkers informed about how their city is being run. A more open government is a more effective and trustworthy one.
Finally, the new administration must ensure that power is exercised in service of the public, not partisan politics. That means committing not to block ballot questions or manipulate the democratic process for personal advantage. It also means cracking down on the use of public resources for campaign purposes, which became an urgent priority this year when the City Council used public funds to oppose Charter Revision Commission proposals aimed at expanding affordable housing. And finally, after Adams’ scandals, New York must establish a clear process to remove a mayor guilty of serious misconduct.
The Adams era revealed deep weaknesses in New York’s ethics and accountability systems, but also sparked a renewed demand for reform. The new mayor has the opportunity to restore honesty, transparency, and ethics to City Hall.
On election night, Mamdani promised that his administration’s legacy “will be felt when New Yorkers open their newspapers in the morning and read headlines of success, not scandal.”
These words capture what voters clearly deserve: a clean break from a culture of corruption.
Avlon is the chairman of Citizens Union, fighting for reform in New York for more than a century. Rauh is the executive director of Citizens Union.
