[3] The position of mayor of New York has been branded as the "second toughest job" in the United States of America, behind only the U.S.

[4][5][6] The current mayor is Eric Adams, who was elected on November 2, 2021, and took office shortly after midnight on January 1, 2022.

In 1821 the Common Council, which included elected members, gained the authority to choose the mayor.

An amendment to the New York State Constitution in 1834 provided for the direct popular election of the mayor.

[7] Michael Bloomberg, mayor of the city from 2002 to 2013 and one of the richest people in the world,[8] declined the salary and instead was paid $1 yearly.

In 2000, direct control of the city's public school system was transferred to the mayor's office.

The organization gained control of Democratic Party nominations in the state and city in 1861, and played a major role in New York City politics into the 1960s and was a dominant player from the mayoral victory of Fernando Wood in 1854 through the era of Robert Wagner (1954–1965).

In 2024, it was reported that Governor Kathy Hochul was considering whether to use that process against Eric Adams after his indictment on federal corruption charges.

Prior to 2024, the last New York governor to consider exercising this power was in 1932, when Franklin D. Roosevelt considered removing Jimmy Walker as mayor, who was accused of taking bribes from city contractors; however, Walker resigned before Roosevelt could remove him.

Former mayor Ed Koch said that the post was jinxed due to divine intervention, whereas Michael Bloomberg has called the supposed curse "a statistical fluke.