Mayor Zohran Mamdani hemmed and hawed when asked about the importance of bill signings – after The Post exposed him for putting his seal on just a single law during his first year in office.
“I think the most important thing is that New Yorkers can see pieces of legislation becoming law,” Mamdani told The Post Thursday.
“Whether we sign that legislation or it lapses the law, the impact is the same to New Yorker’s across the city,” he added. “And we’re excited to keep working with the council, whether it is signing more bills or seeing the passage of additional bills. Most important is to deliver new results to New Yorkers.”
That convoluted comment came a day after The Post found the mayor had signed only his August law allowing outdoor dinning year-round – with the roughly 90 other bills passed during his tenure coming into law under a “returned unsigned” process, which automatically enacts City Council-passed laws that sit on the mayors desk for four weeks.
By comparison, his predecessor Eric Adams had signed 30 bills at the same point in his career, Bill de Blasio had signed 47 and Mike Bloomberg signed 28.
Mamdani’s allies were quick to jump to his defense Thursday – weirdly bending over backwards to justify his lack of action.
“No need to sign. As long as he doesn’t veto, the bills become law anyway,” former New York Sen. Jabari Brisport on X. “His approach is actually more efficient. That’s why he gets more done than other Mayors.”