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 think 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. 

Mamdani questioned about staff vetting process

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 on social media. The Anti-Defamation League 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, which Mamdani said he accepted.

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. 

When asked about his position on antisemitism, the mayor-elect's answer lasted almost two full minutes, ending with the meaning of Hanukkah, and the safety of Jewish New Yorkers as they celebrate it.

"What I have found inspiration in is the story of the Maccabees themselves, and the importance of understanding that impossibility is something that you can in fact confront, you can in fact tackle," Mamdani said.

As for the rest of his appointed staff, Mamdani said Friday that he has full confidence in the decisions his team has "made and will continue to make."

Will Mamdani's rent freeze plan go forward?

Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams made a last-minute attempt to block Mamdani's pledge to freeze rent for New Yorkers by adding two new members to the Rent Guidelines Board and reappointing two members who voted for rent hikes.

Friday, Mamdani said he will move forward with his plan when he takes office.

"I remain just as committed to delivering a four-year rent freeze for 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.