Eric Adams was sworn in as New York City's 110th mayor just after midnight in Times Square, on Saturday, January 1.
Holding a photograph of his deceased mother Dorothy and resting his hand on a family Bible, Adams, 61, repeated after Associate Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix, "I, Eric Adams, do solemnly swear, that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the constitution of the state of New York, and the charter of the city of New York, and I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the mayor of the city of New York, to the best of my abilities, so help me God."
In a tweet, Adams wrote, "Our administration is charting a course for a truly equitable recovery uplifting all of us, from building top-flight schools and empowering our immigrant neighbors to reviving our tourism sector and supporting our small businesses. We are fully prepared to hit the ground running."
Later, he wrote: "Happy New Year, New York! I'm so excited about the future of the greatest City in the world, and humbled to be your Mayor."
Adams is the second Black mayor in NYC's history. The first was David Dinkins.
NYC's mayor is traditionally sworn in at noon on January 1. Adams' swearing-in ceremony was initially scheduled for Saturday night, in order to allow his religious Jewish supporters to take part without violating Shabbat (Sabbath) laws.
However, he later decided to move the ceremony to midnight on Saturday, thereby preventing religious Jews from taking part in the ceremony