Mayor of New York City facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City of New York
Standard of the mayor of New York City
Seal of the City of New York
Incumbent Eric Adams since January 1, 2022
Government of New York City
Style	His Honor; Mr. Mayor (informal)
Residence	Gracie Mansion
Seat	New York City Hall
Term length	Four years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	New York City Charter
Inaugural holder	Thomas Willett
Formation	June 12, 1665; 360 years ago (1665-06-12)
Succession	New York City Public Advocate, then New York City Comptroller
Deputy	First Deputy Mayor of New York City
Salary	$258,750

The mayor of New York City is the main leader of the government of New York City. Think of them as the chief executive, like a principal for a very big school, but for an entire city! The mayor's job is to manage all the city's services, like police and fire departments, public parks, and most government offices. They also make sure all city and state laws are followed within New York City.

New York City has the largest city budget in the United States. In 2021, it was over $100 billion! The city employs about 325,000 people. It spends around $21 billion to educate more than 1.1 million students, which is the biggest public school system in the United States. The city collects about $27 billion in taxes and gets another $14 billion from the state and federal governments.

The mayor's main office is in New York City Hall. Their power reaches across all five boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens. The mayor chooses many important officials, including deputy mayors and the people who lead different city agencies and departments. A mayor can serve two four-year terms in a row. After a break, they can run for office again. The job of New York City mayor is often called the "second toughest job" in the United States, right after the U.S. president.

The current mayor is Eric Adams. He was elected on November 2, 2021, and started his term on January 1, 2022.

History of New York City Mayors

The first mayor of New York was Thomas Willett, appointed in 1665 by Governor Richard Nicolls. For 156 years, mayors were chosen by others and had limited power. Between 1783 and 1821, the state governor had a big say in who became mayor. Later, in 1821, a group called the Common Council, which had elected members, got to choose the mayor.

A big change happened in 1834 when a new rule allowed people to vote directly for their mayor. Cornelius W. Lawrence, a Democrat, was the first mayor elected by popular vote that year.

Gracie Mansion has been the official home for New York City mayors since 1942, during Fiorello La Guardia's time as mayor. The main floor of the mansion is open to the public and works like a small museum.

The mayor earns a salary of $258,750 a year. However, Michael Bloomberg, who was mayor from 2002 to 2013 and was a very wealthy person, chose to be paid only $1 a year instead of the full salary.

In 2000, the mayor's office took direct control of the city's public school system. This led to the creation of the New York City Department of Education in 2003.

"New York's new solar system": Tammany Hall revolves around Boss Croker in this 1899 cartoon in Puck.

Tammany Hall was a powerful political group that started in 1786. It became very important in the Democratic Party in New York City and New York State. This group helped control city politics for a long time, from the mid-1800s until the 1960s.

Deputy Mayors: The Mayor's Team

The mayor of New York City can choose several deputy mayors to help manage the city government. These deputies assist the mayor in overseeing important offices and departments. The specific jobs and even the number of deputy mayors can change depending on what the mayor decides.

The role of deputy mayor was first created by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. He appointed Grover Whalen to handle official events when the mayor was too busy. Since then, deputy mayors have been given different areas of responsibility by each mayor. Currently, there are several deputy mayors, and they all report directly to the mayor. Many agency leaders report to a deputy mayor, which gives these roles a lot of influence in the mayor's administration.

It's important to know that if the mayor's office becomes empty, deputy mayors do not automatically become the new mayor.

Who Are the Current Deputy Mayors?

• Maria Torres-Springer, First Deputy Mayor: She helps the mayor with city-wide management, daily operations, and important policies. She oversees many departments, including those related to the city's budget, housing, business, and cultural affairs.

• Camille Joseph-Varlack, Deputy Mayor for Administration: She manages the city's administrative services, international relations, and public engagement efforts. This includes offices that handle city events, scheduling, and community outreach.

• Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services: She oversees agencies that help people with social services, homelessness, child services, and the city's public hospitals.

• Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Operations: She is in charge of departments that keep the city running every day. This includes environmental protection, sanitation (trash collection), transportation, parks, and city construction projects.

• Chauncey Parker, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety: He oversees departments related to public safety, such as the Fire Department, Department of Correction, and emergency management.

• Ana Almanzar, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives

• Fabien Levy, Deputy Mayor for Communications

• Tiffany Raspberry, Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs

What Offices Does the Mayor Appoint?

The mayor has the power to choose and remove the leaders of more than 40 city agencies and members of various city boards and commissions. Some of these important appointments include:

• New York City Police Commissioner
• New York City Fire Commissioner
• Judges for the New York City Criminal Court
• New York City Marshals
• The leader of the city's public schools, called the New York City Schools Chancellor (since 2002)
• The head of the New York City Mayor's Office of Management and Budget
• The Commissioner of Health of the City of New York

Mayor's Role on Boards

The mayor of New York City is also a special member (called an ex-officio member) of the boards of many important organizations. This means they are automatically a board member because of their position as mayor. These organizations include:

How a Mayor Can Be Removed from Office

The New York City Charter explains how a mayor can be removed from office. The governor of New York has the power to remove the mayor if there are serious accusations of wrongdoing. However, the governor must first listen to the mayor's side of the story. The governor can also temporarily suspend the mayor for 30 days while looking into the accusations. For example, in 1932, Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt considered removing Mayor Jimmy Walker due to accusations, but Walker resigned before that happened.

There's also another way a mayor can be removed, without the governor's involvement. A special "Inability Committee" of five members can be formed. If four out of five members agree, they can send accusations of wrongdoing or inability to the City Council. Then, if two-thirds of the City Council votes for it, the mayor can be permanently removed or temporarily suspended. This process has never been used.

If a mayor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the next person in line to become mayor is the public advocate. If they can't, then the comptroller steps in. This person becomes the temporary mayor until a special election can be held.

See also

In Spanish: Alcalde de Nueva York para niños