When Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as the mayor of New York City on 1 January 2026, he will make history in more ways than one. The Democrat will be the city's first Muslim mayor and first person of South Asian heritage to hold the office. Now, he can also claim a different, unexpected first: becoming the 112th mayor of New York, not the 111th as initially anticipated.
A Centuries-Old Oversight Comes to Light
The surprising revision stems from a historical accounting error that dates back to the 1670s. Independent historian Paul Hortenstine, while researching early New York mayors' connections to slavery, spotted a discrepancy in the city's official list. The records correctly noted that Matthias Nicolls served as the sixth mayor from 1671 to 1672 but omitted his return to office in late 1674, after a brief Dutch invasion and a period of interim leadership.
Hortenstine argued that since other mayors who served non-consecutive terms were counted multiple times, Nicolls should receive the same treatment. "The numbering of mayors is a fascinating issue that is much more difficult than it appears at first glance," Hortenstine remarked.
The Archival Investigation and Its Findings
After the issue was raised by local news site Gothamist, New York City's Department of Records and Information Services launched an investigation. Archivist Michael Lorenzini detailed the complexities in a blog post on 11 December 2025. He traced the error back to the mid-1800s when the city first began printing lists of its past leaders; Nicolls' second term was simply left off.
"It does appear that on January 1, 2026, Mayor Mamdani should be mayor number 112," Lorenzini concluded. He noted, however, that the entire exercise highlights how "the numbering of New York City 'mayors' has been somewhat arbitrary and inconsistent."
The Bigger Picture: What Does the List Really Mean?
Lorenzini's research underscores the inherent challenges in compiling such a historical record. The official count does not include the "burgomasters" of the Dutch colonial period or the Indigenous leaders who governed the land for millennia before colonisation. Even the role itself has changed dramatically, with the early mayor presiding only over Manhattan before the five boroughs were consolidated.
For his part, Mayor-elect Mamdani took the news in stride. "I’m excited to be whichever mayor," he told reporters on Wednesday 17 December 2025 after learning of the counting controversy.
While the renumbering is, as Lorenzini described, "a sort of academic exercise," it has a tangible outcome. The correction means renumbering every mayor from William Dervall (who becomes the 9th) to the current mayor, Eric Adams, who would be reclassified as the 111th. The change also impacts the legacy of three-term mayor Michael Bloomberg, who would be listed as the 109th.
Ultimately, the episode proves that history is never fully settled. "We still have these records, and people can still dive into them and still find something new or something to argue about," Lorenzini reflected. "History is still alive."
