Mayor Eric Adams appointed and reappointed four members to New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board, a decision that could complicate Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s plan for a multi-year rent freeze. The appointments, announced Thursday, give Adams’ picks a majority on the nine-member board, which sets rent levels for roughly one million stabilized apartments.
Mayor Adams selected Lliam Finn, a senior financial adviser with Merrill Lynch, to serve as a public member, and Sagar Sharma, deputy director at Legal Services NYC, as one of the two tenant representatives. He also reappointed Arpit Gupta, an economist and finance professor, and landlord representative Christina Smyth, extending her tenure on the board. Another Adams appointee, economist Alex Armlovich, will continue serving until his term ends in late 2026.
Mayor Adams highlighted the expertise of the new appointees, stating that the city is “using every tool in our toolbox to tackle our city’s housing crisis,” and that the members bring “decades of experience in the housing sector” while serving as “responsible stewards of our city’s housing stock.”
Tenant advocates and legal aid organizations warned that the appointments could undermine a rent freeze, a central promise of Mamdani’s campaign. “These new appointments threaten to lock in yet another rent increase, precisely when families across the city are struggling to make ends meet,” the Legal Aid Society emphasized.
The board, which includes two tenant representatives, two landlord representatives, and five public members, votes annually on rent adjustments. Adams’ final appointments ensure that his appointees hold a majority heading into the 2026 vote, setting up a potential clash with Mamdani’s agenda.
