Astead Herndon

These were largely supporters of yours.

I want to hear more about, like, did you hear criticism?

Did you hear any critiques of your campaign from some of those New Yorkers you sat down with?

What sat with you that wasn't necessarily something that was already part of your agenda?

I know that you have been a legislator, but not an executive.

And back when I was doing the profile over the summer, I know that you were talking to people about what leadership means, about how to grow as an executive.

I wanted to hear, can you share any of that advice with us?

What steps did you take to close a gap, to feel prepared for stepping into this moment?

And do you?

Mm-hmm.

I know that you previously had said that you wanted a team that did not have policy litmus tests, that you wanted folks with differing opinions.

Has that transition team, has the staff you put in place lived up to that?

You know, at the same time, there's folks who have been frustrated with that, that thought that some of this coalition building, even among your appointments, has maybe betrayed the movement that got you here.

I'm thinking about the appointment of Jessica Tisch as police commissioner.

I'm thinking about a vocal rejection of a Democratic challenger to Hakeem Jeffries in Brooklyn.

My question is, like, have you had to embrace a different side of yourself?

Do you hear any of the critiques that we're seeing inside of Mamdani these days?

One question I have is like there's so much national and international focus on both campaign and I think your administration going forward.

But it's such a hyper local job.

How do you balance what will be the intense attention with the reality of who you're serving?