Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered an equivocal response when asked about the significance of signing legislation, one day after The Post reported that he had put his seal on just one law during his first year in office.
“I think the most important thing is that New Yorkers can see pieces of legislation becoming law,” Mamdani told The Post on Thursday.
“Whether we sign that legislation or it lapses into law, the impact is the same to New Yorkers across the city,” he added. “And we’re excited to keep working with the council, whether it is signing more bills or seeing the passage of additional bills. Most important is to deliver new results to New Yorkers.”
Mamdani made the convoluted remarks a day after The Post found that he had signed only one measure: an August law allowing outdoor dining year-round. Roughly 90 other bills passed during his tenure became law through a “returned unsigned” process, which automatically enacts City Council legislation left on the mayor’s desk for four weeks.
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At the same point in their respective careers, Mamdani’s predecessors had signed significantly more legislation. Eric Adams had signed 30 bills, Bill de Blasio had signed 47 and Mike Bloomberg had signed 28.
Mamdani’s allies quickly came to his defense Thursday, going to unusual lengths to explain why the mayor had taken so little direct action on the bills.
“No need to sign. As long as he doesn’t veto, the bills become law anyway,” former New York state Sen. Jabari Brisport wrote on X. “His approach is actually more efficient. That’s why he gets more done than other mayors.”
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