New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be sworn into office at an abandoned subway stop below City Hall on New Year’s Eve to pay tribute to the “lifeblood” of the Big Apple.
The private ceremony will take place at Old City Hall Station just before midnight on Thursday, and Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James will administer the oath of office to the democratic socialist, reported Independent.
“The New York City subway system is the lifeblood of New York, a reminder of the city Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is fighting for: a city built by and for New Yorkers,” a press release about the ceremony read.
Mamdani further explained the meaning behind the location of his private ceremony in a public statement.
He said, “When Old City Hall Station first opened in 1904, one of New York’s 28 original subway stations, it was a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples’ lives.”
“That ambition need not be a memory confined only to our past, nor must it be isolated only to the tunnels beneath City Hall: it will be the purpose of the administration fortunate enough to serve New Yorkers from the building above,” Mamdani added.
The ceremony will be followed by a public swearing-in by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, on the steps of City Hall later Thursday.
Usually, just 4,000 ticketed guests would be allowed to attend the ceremony, but, in addition to these guests, Mamdani has invited all New Yorkers to celebrate with a block party on Broadway.
