This is special coverage on WNYC.

Happy New Year, everybody.

This is the inauguration of Zeran Mamdani as New York City's 112th mayor.

Good afternoon.

I'm Brian Lehrer. The ceremony is scheduled

for 1 o'clock, so just a few minutes from now. It will include the swearing-in of the mayor,

also public advocates, Monty Williams, for his second term, and the new controller, Mark Levine,

who has been the Manhattan Borough president. And there will be Mom Donnie's inaugural address,

of course, which we will carry live to hear how the new mayor sets the day one tone for his

administration, right? And if he makes any specific day one policy announcements or policy proposals,

after the speech, we will open our phones and text message feed for your reactions to it or questions about it.

And we will get analysis from our inauguration covered special guests who join us now as we await the start of the ceremony.

They are Harry Siegel and Christina Greer, co-host of the podcast, F-A-Q, NYC.

Christina is also a political science professor at Fordham and author of the books

Black Ethics, Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream, and How to Build

a Democracy from Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams.

Harry is also a senior editor at the news organization, The City, and Moynihan Public Scholar

at City College. Hi, Harry, hi, Christina. Welcome back to WNYC and happy New Year.

Happy New Year, hi, Brian, hi, Harry. Hey, Chris.

And happy new era.

Officially, Mom Doni is already the mayor.

We should say he was sworn in just after midnight, as the city does.

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