Astead Herndon

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?

Coming up, I asked Sauram Amdani about what success or failure looks like in his new administration.

We're back.

It's Today Explained.

I'm Ested Herndon, here with Mayor-elect Zohra Mamdani.

I want to look ahead.

You know, how would you define the priorities for your agenda?

What would you define as success or failure for the Mamdani administration?