Other administration officials also disputed that the pace had slowed at City Hall, pointing to the many programs that have continued from his first term, including one to build and preserve 300,000 units of affordable housing, the Vision Zero initiative to prevent traffic deaths and the creation, albeit delayed, of new homeless shelters.

Officials said that the mayor had made a decision with this year’s budget to continue spending on signature programs that he started in his first term, in particular early childhood education, rather than commit future spending to new, big-ticket items.

His proposal, known as 3-K, to expand free schooling for 3-year-olds will require a large amount of financing as the number of children covered increases; the mayor did not want to put in place new programs that might take money away from that, especially given uncertainties about the economy and federal and state financing of the city budget.

Still, the lack of big new ideas has been widely remarked upon by politicians and local leaders, and some, including the City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, have filled the void.

When the mayor initially balked at funding subsidized MetroCards, Mr. Johnson pushed ahead, essentially forcing Mr. de Blasio to agree to the “fair fares” program for needy New Yorkers. The Council also led the way this year with a first-in-the-nation plan to cap the number of for-hire vehicles like Uber and Lyft.

“In the era of term limits, you have to work at continuing to be relevant on the issues facing the city,” said Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, noting that Mr. de Blasio cannot run for a third term. “As time goes on, people begin to look past your administration.”

Mr. Stringer, who, like Mr. de Blasio, is a Democrat, said that the mayor has little time to articulate a vision if he wants to carry it out before he leaves office. By early next year, he said, “we’re going to need to hear what the last leg of the journey is going to be about. He has to have a laser-beam focus and an agenda for us to get behind.”