In the first six months of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty, New York City saw notable progress in some areas alongside persistent challenges, according to the latest Mayor’s Management Report. The 544-page document, covering data from the final six months of Eric Adams’s administration as well as the early phase of Mamdani’s term, offers a mixed assessment of the city’s performance across public safety, housing, sanitation, and other services.
Among the report’s highlights is a 27 percent increase in pothole repairs, with the city filling 229,000 potholes, a figure the administration presents as a symbol of responsiveness to residents’ everyday concerns. Still, the average response time for pothole repairs through the 311 system doubled, climbing to four business days. City officials framed the pothole performance as a test of public trust, with spokesperson Dora Pekec noting that effective handling of small-scale issues is essential to tackling larger challenges.
Public safety statistics showed a decline in major felonies and a continued drop in murders, with homicide cases falling 20 percent from 339 in fiscal 2025 to 272 in fiscal 2026. However, response times for emergency services have increased. Police response to crimes in progress lengthened to over 15 minutes, and ambulance and fire response times also rose, attributed by city officials to staffing and capacity constraints. Additionally, the city’s jail population grew by 2 percent to nearly 7,000 inmates, despite plans to reduce detainee numbers as part of efforts to close Rikers Island.
On the housing front, the city reported a 20 percent rise in affordable housing completions, reaching nearly 27,000 units—the highest total in five years. Supportive housing for formerly homeless residents also set a record, with over 7,200 units financed. However, housing maintenance complaints rose sharply, and the New York City Housing Authority struggled with rent collection, receiving just under 60 percent of due rents, significantly below its 97.5 percent target. The administration attributed this shortfall to continued pandemic-related financial hardships among tenants.
Education figures indicated a decline in public school enrollment, down by approximately 21,000 students to 884,000 citywide, mirroring national trends. While charter school enrollment edged up slightly, Mayor Mamdani maintained opposition to raising the charter school cap. Concerns were also raised over student absenteeism, with a third of students missing at least 10 percent of the school year, and an increase in reported assaults against school staff.
Sanitation services showed some improvement, with declines in alternate side parking violations and a doubling of cleared vacant lots. Composting efforts rose by 25 percent, diverting 205 tons of organic waste. The city also increased rodent inspections, resulting in a modest decline in reported active rat infestations, continuing efforts started under the previous administration.
The report also noted an 11 percent rise in the city’s unsheltered homeless population, totaling nearly 5,000 people. Officials pointed out that the count, typically conducted in January, was held in March this year during unseasonably warm weather, potentially contributing to the higher number observed outdoors. Meanwhile, civil rights advocates voiced concerns about a 12.5 percent increase in quality-of-life summonses, which disproportionately affect Black and Latino residents.
Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, summarized the year’s performance as a “mixed picture” with some progress but significant challenges remaining. The Mamdani administration has in several instances attributed negative outcomes in the report to shortcomings from the previous mayor’s tenure, underscoring the complexity of addressing longstanding urban issues amid evolving conditions.