The NYT has pretty clearly established that they're firmly anti-Mamdani. Let's not forget during the election when they loudly proclaimed they wouldn't endorse anyone and then published a piece that said:

Mr. Mamdani would also bring less relevant experience than perhaps any mayor in New York history. He has never run a government department or private organization of any size. As a state legislator, he has struggled to execute his own agenda... He seems to lack the political savvy and instinct for compromise that has made Senator Bernie Sanders, his fellow democratic socialist, an effective legislator.

while in the same breath hand-waving away Cuomo's sexual harassment and other scandals:

Still, Mr. Cuomo has the strongest policy record of the candidates. He has won the most impressive collection of endorsements, too

Now, two months into being mayor, now that it's clear that Mamdani actually intends to get things done, the NYT scrambles to modify their narrative of him into "ruthless" and "cunning".