Mamdani has expressed curiosity in retaining Tisch as police commissioner, citing her efforts to battle corruption inside the NYPD.
Photographs by Dean Moses/Jonathan Portee
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani launched key members of his incoming administration on Monday — however continued to dodge questions on whether or not Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will stay as town’s high legislation enforcement official below his management.
Mamdani has repeatedly expressed curiosity in retaining Tisch, Mayor Eric Adams’ fourth police commissioner, highlighting her efforts to fight corruption inside the NYPD. He has said as early as Oct. 22, in a New York Instances report printed earlier than that night time’s second and closing mayoral debate, that he intends to maintain her within the function whereas pursuing broader reforms, together with the creation of a brand new Division of Public Security.
Nevertheless, almost three weeks after the report was launched, Tisch has not publicly said whether or not she plans to remain, and Mamdani has not confirmed whether or not the 2 have mentioned the function immediately.
All through the mayoral race and in the course of the transition, the commissioner has repeatedly declined to touch upon her future, saying it might be inappropriate to participate in political discussions.
Requested once more on Monday whether or not he had spoken with Tisch or whether or not his push to retain her had been profitable, Mamdani provided no new readability.
“I continue to retain my interest in keeping Commissioner Jessica Tisch,” he mentioned on Nov. 11.
Tisch, who has overseen a decline in city-wide crime ranges, has emerged as a preferred determine inside the NYPD. Earlier than succeeding interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon to turn out to be town’s second feminine police commissioner, Tisch served as Mayor Eric Adams’s sanitation commissioner.
Tisch beforehand held a number of civilian roles within the police division, however was by no means a uniformed officer. Previous to her service within the Adams administration, she was the deputy commissioner of knowledge expertise below former Mayor Invoice de Blasio.
Some police division officers, talking anonymously to New York News final week, mentioned they imagine Tisch could also be contemplating a future mayoral run of her personal, whereas others urged she might select to step down, citing variations in values and background with Mamdani.
Nevertheless, Crain’s New York reported final week that Tisch has instructed associates she can be prepared to serve in a Mamdani administration.
The query of whether or not the highest cop will keep comes after her prolonged household was a part of the billionaire class that made vital donations to Repair the Metropolis, an excellent PAC that opposed Mamdani’s candidacy.
Marketing campaign finance information present members of the Tisch household contributed greater than $1.3 million to the group. The police commissioner is the daughter of Loews Corp. Chief Govt James Tisch, who didn’t contribute to the Tremendous PAC.
When requested whether or not these donations signaled Tisch’s lack of curiosity in remaining police commissioner, Mamdani dismissed the thought. “I am not hiring the family,” he instructed CNN.
On Monday, Mamdani mentioned further management appointments are anticipated within the coming weeks as he prepares to “usher in a new day for New York.” He didn’t rule out retaining different high officers from the Adams administration throughout metropolis businesses.
“At the heart of these announcements is a commitment to excellence, and excellence requires that you assess individuals on the basis of the work they have done,” Mamdani mentioned. “If there are those who have done their job particularly well within the Adams administration, they will be considered all the same.”
