New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday nominated Midori Valdivia to lead the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Valdivia currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Coro New York Leadership Center. Her previous roles include deputy commissioner of the TLC, senior advisor to the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and chief of staff to the chair and CEO of the MTA.

"I have appointed her not only for her experience, but frankly also for her vision," Mamdani said. "It is a vision of a New York City where those who drive our people are not passengers in their own life, but rather one where they are empowered to live with the dignity and the purpose that they deserve. And it is the vision where taxi drivers, for-hire drivers, paratransit drivers have the representation and the voice in government that they have too long been deprived of."

"If confirmed, I commit to an agenda that works to provide a for-hire economy that serves all New Yorkers," Valdivia said. "Putting people first must be at the top of our agenda, whether they are drivers, passengers, small business owners, and I will dedicate myself to those who upheld this iconic cultural institution in New York City during a time of great change."

The taxi drivers union, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, announced their support for the nomination.

"Our brother, Mayor Mamdani fought in the trenches for economic justice alongside taxi drivers before he became mayor," said Bhairavi Desai, the union's executive director. "Today, he delivers on his commitment to uplifting the 180,000 New Yorkers who earn their living as TLC-licensed drivers by nominating a public servant who champions workers."

Valdivia's nomination will have to be approved by the City Council. If approved, she will be succeeding current commissioner and chair David Do, who was nominated by former Mayor Eric Adams in 2022.

Stay with CBS News New York for the latest on this developing story.