mamdani new york mayors numbering debate.

Zohran Mamdani can claim multiple firsts when he becomes New York’s mayor Jan. 1. He’s the first Muslim and first person of South Asian heritage elected to the office. Now he’s also poised to shape city history by being the 112th mayor, rather than 111th. That’s because a longstanding record-keeping oversight recently got attention. Essentially, the city government’s widely used list of mayors undercounted Matthias Nicolls, who was mayor for two nonconsecutive terms in the 1670s. After a tip from a historian, a city archivist looked into the matter and concluded that it appears Mamdani should be counted as the 112th mayor. Mamdani says he’s excited to be mayor, whatever the number.