Camilla Jessen
Researchers say the count is off by one.
Zohran Mamdani is ready to make history on 1 January as the first Muslim mayor of New York City and one of the youngest in more than a century.
But one historian now argues that Mamdani may not actually be the 111th mayor at all.
Landslide victory, historic moment
Mamdani won November’s closely watched election with 50.78% of the vote, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo.
The race saw the highest turnout since 1993 and drew national attention, helped by criticism from figures including Donald Trump.
At 34, Mamdani becomes the city’s youngest mayor since the 19th century and a prominent new figure for the progressive left. His grassroots organising in Queens and his appeal to younger voters were central to his rise from State Assembly member to the city’s top job.
A centuries-old counting error?
But historian Paul Hortenstine says the number attached to Mamdani’s title is wrong.
While researching early mayors’ links to the slave trade, he claims he uncovered evidence that a mayoral term from the 1670s was mistakenly left out of the official record.
Speaking to The Gothamist, Hortenstine said he found documentation showing that Matthias Nicolls served a second, nonconsecutive term in 1675. A detail missing from the city’s list.
Officials have since acknowledged awareness of the research. Ken Cobb of the city’s Department of Records said the discrepancy was unexpected but worth examining.
How the mistake happened
According to Hortenstine and historian Peter R. Christoph, the error appears to date back to an 1841 municipal manual that omitted Nicolls’ second term.
Every subsequent record copied the mistake.
Because nonconsecutive terms count separately, as with U.S. presidents, removing one term shifts the entire sequence that follows.
If the finding is formally accepted, Mamdani would not be recorded as the 111th mayor, but as the 112th.
The issue does not affect Mamdani’s transition or authority, only the historical numbering attached to his office. Should the city amend the record, inauguration materials and future references may simply require an update.
Sources: The Gothamist.
