One signed, one vetoed, 89 unsigned: how Mamdani has handled the Council's bills

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signed one bill into law since taking office in January. Most of the rest of the Council's bills have become law without his signature. The New York Post reported the count Thursday, and it was widely picked up, including in this syndicated version. The report cited anonymous City Hall staff who criticized the administration's focus on social media. It also compared Mamdani's total with his predecessors' at the same point: 30 signed laws for Eric Adams, 47 for Bill de Blasio and 28 for Michael Bloomberg. The syndicated article includes no response from the mayor's office.

For residents, the practical effect is limited. Under the City Charter, a bill the Council passes becomes law if the mayor neither signs nor vetoes it within 30 days. A law that takes effect without a signature has the same force as one that is signed. But signing a bill is a public way for a mayor to take ownership of it, and a veto is the only way to stop one.

What our records show

We counted every local law (an "Introduction") the Council sent to the mayor this term through the October 8 stated meeting. These are the actions the Clerk recorded for each one:

• 98 bills were sent to the mayor.
• 1 was signed. Int. 655, Council Member Lincoln Restler's bill expanding year-round roadway cafés, was signed on August 31 after a public bill hearing. The Council had passed it 37 to 5.
• 1 was vetoed. Int. 175, Council Member Eric Dinowitz's bill requiring a plan for security perimeters near schools, was vetoed on April 24. The Council had passed it 30 to 19, short of the 34 votes an override requires. Our records show no override vote.
• 89 were returned unsigned. Each became law under the Charter's 30-day rule. The Clerk logs these as "City Charter Rule Adopted," followed by "Returned Unsigned by Mayor."
• 7 were still waiting as of the latest roll-call data.

The waiting list grew Thursday. The Council passed eight more local laws on October 22. They include the horse carriage ban, COPA and the SCRIE and DRIE expansion. That brings the bills awaiting action to 15. Four of them were sent on September 24 and reach the 30-day mark about now, counting from when the mayor's office received them:

• Two bills from Council Member Crystal Hudson, on commissary refunds and Fair Fares enrollment
• The J-51 tax abatement bill from Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez, Int. 1015
• An Eastern Parkway building bill from Council Member Sandy Nurse, Int. 833

Unsigned is not the same as opposed, but there was one fight. In August, the administration let the paraprofessional pay bill, Int. 692, become law unsigned. Then it sued the Council over it, City & State reported. The administration argued the bill goes around collective bargaining. The Council had passed it 49 to 0. At the July 16 stated meeting, Civil Service and Labor Chair Shirley Aldebol said the one-time payment does not interfere with bargaining. Speaker Julie Menin told City & State the Council would "vigorously defend the law."

The Council has questioned the social media operation. The criticism this week also concerned the mayor's online presence. On September 22, the Committee on Governmental Operations, chaired by Gale Brewer, held an oversight hearing on the administration's work with social media influencers. At issue were an invite-only Signal group for sharing talking points and whether its messages are kept as public records. Council Member Frank Morano presented a January memo from the mayor's chief counsel. It tells employees not to use Signal or other unapproved messaging apps. Council Member Julie Won asked why the official who runs the program didn't testify. The committee took no votes. The bills heard that day remain in committee.

What's next

Watch the four September 24 bills over the coming days. Each one will either be signed, vetoed or become law on its own. The eight bills from October 22 have their own 30-day clocks, which run into late November. The mayor's office has said publicly that he will sign two of them: the carriage ban and COPA. Every bill's status, including mayoral action, is on its matter page under Legislation.