New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has moved closer to fulfilling his campaign pledge to freeze rents after appointing a slate of new members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, giving him a majority on the influential panel.

Mamdani announced Tuesday that he had appointed five new members and reappointed a sixth, placing six of the board’s nine seats under his direct influence. The board is responsible for voting annually on whether rents may rise for the city’s roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments.

“I trust they will consider all the factors facing our city’s rent-stabilized tenants and come to an appropriate decision,” Mamdani said while unveiling the appointments at an affordable housing site in Harlem.

The new lineup includes three public members — labor organizer Brandon Mancilla, advocacy economist Lauren Melodia, and newly appointed chair Chantella Mitchell — along with landlord representative Maksim Wynn and reappointed tenant representative Adán Soltren.

Mitchell, a former city housing official, has worked extensively in the nonprofit sector and currently oversees grantmaking at the New York Community Trust.

Under city rules, the board is composed of five public members, two tenant representatives, and two landlord representatives, all appointed by the mayor. While the panel is billed as independent, critics have raised questions about its autonomy given the ideological alignment of many of Mamdani’s selections.

“Rent-stabilized tenants deserve a rent freeze,” Mamdani said Wednesday. “And of course, I also understand that the RGB is an independent board, and they will consider all of the evidence.”

The mayor’s majority was secured after two late-stage appointees of former Mayor Eric Adams withdrew and board member Alex Armlovich resigned, according to reporting by Gothamist.

The Rent Guidelines Board under Adams approved cumulative rent increases of about 12 percent. By contrast, freezes were approved three times during the tenure of former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mamdani’s promise to freeze rents during his first term was a central element of his campaign and a key factor in his electoral victory. The board’s next major vote, expected around June, will determine whether that pledge becomes policy.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)