NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appoints 1st deputy mayor for economic justice
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced two deputy mayors Friday morning on Staten Island.
Mamdani announced Leila Bozorg as his deputy mayor for housing and Julie Su as his deputy mayor for economic justice, a brand new role in city government.
He made the announcement at a Department of Sanitation garage that is being converted to more than 200 units of affordable housing.
"The ground we stand on is a physical testament to government's power to transform the lives of those it serves when it dares to tackle challenges with ambition, imagination and competence," Mamdani said. "Our administration will remember New Yorkers that have otherwise been forgotten. It will solve issues that have otherwise been forgotten."
Bozorg has been involved in housing policymaking at senior levels for 15 years, Mamdani said.
"When most New Yorkers thinks about what causes them the most anxiety, what chips away most at their savings, what makes life in our city feel most impossible, housing is so often the answer. We don't have enough of it, and what we do have costs too much," Mamdani said.
Su served as acting U.S. labor secretary in the Biden administration until January 2025. Before her role in federal government, she was California's labor secretary from 2019-2021.
As the very first deputy mayor for economic justice, Mamdani said Su will be tasked with tackling "the inequality that too often permeates across our city. To go after unfair labor practices and corporate abuses, and above all to build a city that puts workers and consumers before profit."
"This focus could not come at a more critical moment. Working people across the five boroughs and across our nation are being crushed by a cost of living crisis. They are laboring under unfair conditions, watching their pay stagnate, and living with the daily reality of widening inequality," Su said.
"These comments were reprehensible"
All week, Mamdani has been announcing key leaders of his incoming administration.
On Wednesday, Mamdani announced Catherine Almonte Da Costa as Director of Appointments, the person who would be in charge of recruiting talent into his administration. She resigned a day later over past statements she'd made. The ADL of New York and New Jersey posted screengrabs, it said, of her social media posts from more than a decade ago. The group alleged the posts "echo classic antisemitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people."
Da Costa offered an apology with her resignation.
"I spoke with the mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements are not indicative of who I am. As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation," Da Costa said.
"Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted," Mamdani said.
Asked about the matter Friday, Mamdani said his team is making changes to its vetting process.
"There are clear changes that need to be made and that's exactly what we're doing right now," he said.
Mamdani said he wasn't aware of Da Costa's past social media posts and he would not have hired her if he was aware of them.
"I made clear that these comments were reprehensible. She expressed a deep sense of remorse. She offered to resign, and I accepted it," Mamdani said.
Will Mamdani's rent freeze plan go forward?
Mamdani was also asked about Mayor Eric Adams' last-minute appointments to the rent guidelines board, and whether that will stimy his efforts to freeze the rent.
"I remain just as committed to delivering a four-year rent freeze to more than 2 million rent stabilized tenants across this city, and there's no number of late appointments that will change that," Mamdani said.
Mamdani also announced Thursday that Sharif Suleiman will serve as the next director of the Office of Management and Budget, in charge of balancing the books for his agenda.
Suleiman has served in City Hall over the past three administrations in senior roles.
Mamdani's term as New York City's next mayor begins on New Year's Day.