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Zohran Mamdani’s intention to retain Jessica Tisch is likely to placate powerful New Yorkers who have lobbied Mr. Mamdani to keep her.
Jessica Tisch, left, has indicated she would like to remain in her job even if Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor.James Estrin and Vincent Alban/The New York Times
Oct. 22, 2025, 5:29 p.m. ET
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner for mayor of New York City, intends to ask Jessica Tisch to stay on as the police commissioner if he is elected in November, according to two senior campaign aides and two others briefed on his plans.
The decision settles one of the most discussed questions around his potential mayoralty. And it caps months of deliberations and a lobbying campaign by powerful New Yorkers pressing him to keep Ms. Tisch, a widely respected technocrat.
Choosing a leader for the 50,000-person department is among the most consequential decisions any mayor can make. But for Mr. Mamdani, a 34-year-old assemblyman with a history of caustic criticism of the police and ambitious plans to build a new community safety agency to take over some police functions, it could be unusually significant.
The two campaign officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said Mr. Mamdani viewed Ms. Tisch, 44, as a highly effective change agent who had overseen declining crime rates and cleaned up a department rife with allegations of corruption.
They also said that Mr. Mamdani felt confident he could work with her to implement key campaign promises, including creating the community safety department to shift responsibility for mental health episodes away from the police. Some police leaders have questioned the practicality of such an effort.
Mr. Mamdani has faced deep skepticism from police union leaders and withering campaign trail attacks from former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, his chief rival, portraying him as hostile to law enforcement and soft on crime.
