New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday announced an all-women transition team made up of former city and federal officials, vowing to build an administration “capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign.”

“I and my team will build a City Hall that is both compassionate and capable,” Mamdani said at a news conference, one day after his historic election victory.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist won the mayoralty with record turnout, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and Independent Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani named Elana Leopold, a political strategist who served in the de Blasio administration, as executive director of the transition. She will be joined by:

• Grace Bonilla, president of United Way of New York City
• Melanie Hartzog, former deputy mayor and city budget director
• Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission
• Maria Torres-Springer, former first deputy mayor

The group will oversee the formation of Mamdani’s incoming administration—an especially crucial task given persistent criticism during the campaign over the mayor-elect’s limited executive experience.

Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday he expects “many people” in his administration will remain, though FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker has already submitted his resignation, effective December 19.

Mamdani now faces the challenge of advancing an ambitious—and polarizing—policy agenda that includes:

• Free child care
• Free city bus service
• City-run grocery stores
• A Department of Community Safety that deploys mental-health responders instead of police for certain emergencies

How he will fund these proposals remains unclear, particularly with Gov. Kathy Hochul signaling she will not support higher taxes on the wealthy—one of Mamdani’s preferred revenue options. Still, Mamdani described Hochul’s recent endorsement as “an endorsement of an agenda of affordability.”

His upcoming decisions on leadership at the NYPD are also drawing intense scrutiny. Mamdani, who sharply criticized the department in 2020—calling it a “rogue agency”—has since apologized and now says he hopes to retain the current commissioner.

In an appearance on Good Morning America, Mamdani brushed aside concerns about potential federal intervention, saying he would not be “intimidated” by President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he could send the National Guard into New York City.

Mamdani is set to take office on January 1, becoming the first Muslim, first South Asian, and youngest mayor of New York City in more than a century.