Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s has gotten closer to his goal of freezing the rent for tenants in about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments after several last-minute moves by now-former Mayor Eric Adams to thwart his plan fell through.

Adams had appointed two new members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board and reappointed two others late last month before leaving office to ensure his bloc made up of the majority of the nine-person panel for at least the first year of Mamdani’s term.

But two of Adams’ picks for the same vacancy have dropped out in quick succession. One was Merrill Lynch financial advisor Lliam Finn. The other was Center for NYC Neighborhoods Executive Director Christie Peale.

Mamdani told Gothamist he plans to name a replacement in the near future.

“We’re going to make the appointment soon,” Mamdani said as he exited an apartment building on Clarkson Avenue in Brooklyn following an unrelated press conference Thursday, hours after he was inaugurated.

Finn declined to discuss his decision to quit the post. His departure was first reported by The Real Deal.

Adams offered the post to Peale after Finn left the board, a move that was first reported by the Daily News. Peale’s organization advocates for small homeowners and coordinates a network of legal service providers and other nonprofit groups.

But late Friday night she announced she would not accept the appointment.

“It was an honor to be selected to serve in a role of vital importance to so many New Yorkers, however, I decided it was not appropriate for my nomination to the Rent Guidelines Board to move forward at this time,” Peale said in a written statement to Gothamist.

Her exit will allow Mamdani to fill the vacancy.

Mamdani turned his pledge to “freeze the rent” for tenants in regulated apartments into a viral campaign slogan that resonated with many renters, but sparked outrage among landlords and provided ammunition for Mamdani’s electoral opponents.

Mayors do not have the power to unilaterally determine rent levels.

Instead, they make appointments to the nine-member Rent Guidelines Board, which considers financial data and the experiences of tenants and landlords before an annual vote on how much to raise rents. In three instances, all under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the board voted to freeze rents.

The board comprises two tenant advocates, two landlord representatives and five “public members” who are supposed to take a neutral view of financial data and typically constitute the five-vote majority in the annual decisions.

Under Adams, the board voted to increase rents by a total of 12% on one-year leases. Adams sought to thwart Mamdani’s goal by placing members on the board who would not automatically approve a rent freeze.

Adams tapped Finn for a position on the panel less than two weeks before leaving office. He also named another new member, tenant attorney Sagar Sharma, and reappointed two others to terms lasting until at least the end of this year.

The appointments were supposed to ensure that the Adams bloc made up the majority of board members through the first year of Mamdani’s term. Another Adams appointee, housing economist Alexander Armlovich, was already serving a term that lasts until the end of this year.

Mamdani now has the opportunity to replace, or reappoint five members including the board’s chair.

Landlords, real estate groups and many economists say regular rent increases are necessary to offset owners’ rising costs. State laws that were enacted in 2019 limit the ways that landlords of stabilized apartments can increase monthly rents, putting greater importance on decisions of the Rent Guidelines Board.

But Mamdani has remained steadfast in his support for a rent freeze in order to bring down costs for tenants.

“I continue to be confident that the Rent Guidelines Board will assess the landscape for tenants in rent stabilized units across the city and find that they are in dire need of relief,” he said Thursday.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after Christie Peale withdrew from her appointment.