When the New York City Council convenes in January, it will have a new speaker and a new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to contend with.

How will the relationship change between the opposite ends of City Hall once Mamdani takes office in 2026?

Councilmember Lincoln Restler, a Democrat representing the 33rd District in Brooklyn, said Sunday that he’s confident Mamdani and the council will forge a smooth relationship and avoid some of the difficulties of working with the Adams administration.

Delivering on affordability agenda

Restler told CBS News New York’s “The Point with Marcia Kramer” that he supports Mamdani’s agenda and that his own priorities for better housing, transportation, safer streets and holding the mayor accountable won’t change in the new year.

“I’m very excited to work with this mayor to help deliver on his affordability agenda,” Restler said. “It’s been a challenge working with [Mayor] Eric Adams and his team, and I’m confident that Zohran is bringing in high-caliber people. It’s going to be a much more effective government [and] a much more honest government.”

Restler added he expects the City Council to give “fair, independent oversight” of Mamdani’s administration and not simply be a rubber stamp for his ambitious agenda.

“I hope that there’s a balance between partnering with him to deliver on his affordability agenda and also, when we disagree or when we think that they’re on the wrong track, we’ll say so, we’ll hold tough hearings and we’ll try to encourage them to do the right thing,” he said.

• Read more: Trump praises Mamdani after White House meeting: “I want him to do a great job”

Working with Mamdani’s team

Mamdani last week requested resignations from 179 Adams staffers and announced more than 400 people to help advise his transition.

He previously announced NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch would remain in her role and appointed Dean Fuleihan, budget director for Mayor Bill de Blasio, as his first deputy mayor.

“So far, there’s been really good lines of communication between the mayor-elect’s team and me and my office,” Restler said, “and my hope is for him to be a success and to really help to make life in New York City more affordable for working people that are struggling to get by.”