Zohran Mamdani will make history on January 1 when he’s sworn in as the 111th Mayor of New York City… providing he actually is sworn in as the 111th mayor of New York City, naturally.
If you followed the New York mayoral election with even one eye, you’ll be familiar with the drama and speculation that ensued. Irrespective of what his detractors say – or indeed your political allegiances – Zohran Mamdani won by a landslide, securing 50.78 percent of the vote to defeat Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent former governor Andrew Cuomo.
The November 4 race was arguably the most riveting in recent memory, resulting in the highest turnout for a New York City mayoral election since 1993. Perhaps fueled by the likes of Donald Trump expressing their displeasure at the results, Mamdani’s victory made headlines all over the world.
Mamdani will become the first Muslim mayor in the history of the city – no mean feat considering the lingering wounds of the 9/11 attacks. At 34, he’ll also become the youngest mayor to assume the position since 1892.
In many ways, Mamdani’s magnificent win is an open challenge to the ever-increasing influence of right-wing politics in the U.S., and a pivotal win for the progressive left.
Known for his grassroots campaigning and background as a community organizer in Queens, Mamdani rose from relative obscurity before winning election to the New York State Assembly in 2020.
His aims and manner of campaigning resonated particularly with young voters, who turned out in force to vote during the mayoral election. Mamdani is set to officially take office on January 1, succeeding the incumbent Eric Adams.
Yet with preparations for his succession well underway, one historian is loudly raising questions about the official title Mamdani will inherit.
Paul Hortenstine has shared findings that, he claims, reveal a long-overlooked flaw in New York’s official record.
Hortenstine is adamant that the city’s documented mayoral lineage contains an error that has gone unnoticed for centuries.
In essence, the historian’s argument centers around the fact that said error is significant enough that it could technically prevent Mamdani from being sworn in as New York City’s “111th mayor”.
Why? Well, because Hortenstine says the number is wrong.
While researching ties between early New York mayors and the slave trade, Hortenstine claims to have accidentally stumbled upon a detail that would change the way the city’s mayors have been counted since the 17th century.
He found the evidence in question in the papers of Edmund Andros, the colonial governor of New York.
“This was in 1675,” Hortenstine explained to The Gothamist. “So then, when I later looked through the official list of the city, I noticed that they had missed this term.”
The unexpected claim has even taken veteran researchers aback.
“It’s a good question. Who noticed this discrepancy? Apparently, this historian did,” said Ken Cobb, assistant commissioner of the city’s Department of Records.
Moreover, officials have now acknowledged the claim and confirmed they are aware of the research. According to Hortenstine and earlier historian Peter R. Christoph, who highlighted the same issue in 1989, the city of New York made a mistake almost 200 years ago.
They argue that the official record left out an entire mayoral term from the 1670s – a second, nonconsecutive term served by Mayor Matthias Nicolls. This omission was supposedly printed in an 1841 municipal manual before being copied into every later document.
Given that nonconsecutive terms are counted separately (just as Donald Trump is both the 45th and 47th POTUS), the sequence of New York City mayors is technically erroneous.
Should the research be officially accepted, Mamdani would not be sworn in as the 111th mayor. Technically speaking, he would be mayor number 112.
All this isn’t to say that Mamdani’s date with destiny won’t happen, it will. Only that – if the historians cited in this article are correct – the title on his inauguration documents, press materials, and historical record may need to be corrected before he takes the oath.
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