Councilmember Julie Menin, who represents the Upper East Side, said Wednesday she has secured enough support to be the City Council's next speaker.
Menin is seen as a moderate who could serve as a check on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s progressive policies. The speaker is the second-most powerful elected official in city government, with control over which legislation gets brought up for votes. The speaker also negotiates the city’s budget of around $120 billion.
Menin is reportedly skeptical of Mamdani’s plan for a new Department of Community Safety that would dispatch social workers to certain mental health emergencies, rather than the NYPD. Like Mamdani, Menin has broad support from influential unions.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust and faith that my colleagues have put in me to lead the City Council as a force of action for New York families,” Menin said in a statement declaring she had secured the votes of 36 of her colleagues. The Council has 51 members.
The speaker’s race is seen as a test of an incoming mayor’s political capital. Previous mayors have tried to influence the outcome by lobbying members of the Council to pick a preferred candidate. Mayor Bill de Blasio handpicked his ally Melissa Mark-Viverito during his first term. In 2021, Mayor Eric Adams unsuccessfully waded into the race by lobbying for Queens councilmember and moderate Democrat Francisco Moya. The race was eventually won by Adrienne Adams, who battled with the mayor over the budget and legislation.
Mamdani did not publicly weigh in on the race.
“The Mayor-elect spoke with Councilmember Menin today and looks forward to working with her and the entire City Council to deliver on our affordability agenda for New Yorkers," Mamdani transition spokesperson Dora Pekec said late Wednesday.
Former Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who ran for the role in 2021, said that Menin’s path to victory seems all but secure.
“Nothing’s ever done until the vote is cast in January at the council’s charter meeting, but she’s already put together a really strong coalition,” she said.
Rivera, who is serving on Mamdani’s transition team, said that the mayor-elect will look to ensure he has allies in the council who share his policy goals.
“ Will he weigh in before the end of the year? I mean, it’s possible. This is a little early for the speaker's race to be done,” Rivera added.
Menin served as the city’s director of the 2020 census, when New York officials feared Trump administration interference would result in an undercount.
Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who represents parts of Brooklyn, was also vying for the speaker role.
"I have always said this should be a member driven process; and today, my colleagues have made their choice clear,” she said in a statement.
Menin’s Council district went for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral election. Hudson’s backed Mamdani.
This story has been updated with statements from Mayor-elect Mamdani's transition team and Councilmember Hudson.
