In an announcement made on Friday, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani revealed the appointment of two seasoned experts in housing and labor policy to pivotal positions in his forthcoming administration.
Leila Bozorg has been appointed as the deputy mayor for housing, while Julie Su will serve as the deputy mayor for economic justice. Mamdani made these announcements during a press conference held on Staten Island. For further details, you can visit this link.
Set to assume office on January 1, Mamdani emphasized that Bozorg and Su are expected to collaborate closely in executing key initiatives aimed at enhancing the city’s affordability.
“My goal is straightforward,” Mamdani stated while discussing these appointments. “I want to gauge our success by assessing how many previously overlooked New Yorkers feel represented at City Hall and how significantly the lives of residents across the city are improved by those appointed to serve them.”
Currently, Bozorg serves as the executive director of housing under Mayor Adams, with a rich history of roles within city government, including her tenure as a deputy commissioner at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development during Bill de Blasio’s administration. For more about de Blasio, click here.
Meanwhile, Julie Su brings her experience as the former acting U.S. Department of Labor secretary under President Biden to her new role in the city administration.
Her role is new, having not previously existed under previous mayors. Her portfolio will include overseeing the Taxi & Limousine Commission as well as the Departments of Small Business Services and Consumer and Worker Protection, among other agencies.
Bozorg will be tasked with spearheading the Mamdani administration’s housing policies, which includes promises to build tens of thousands of new rent-stabilized units. He has also promised to freeze rents for stabilized tenants.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani finishes a news conference in Staten Island after announcing two deputy mayors on Friday. Mamdani announced Leila Bozorg (right) as his deputy mayor for housing. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The appointments of Bozorg and Su come one day after Mamdani faced a setback in his transition process.
Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who was named Mamdani’s City Hall director of appointments on Wednesday, announced Thursday that she would no longer join his administration after decade-old social media posts she made offensive to Jewish people surfaced.
Asked about the Da Costa flub, Mamdani told reporters at Friday’s press conference that he’s “making changes” to his transition team’s vetting process for appointments. He also said he was not aware of Da Costa’s posts.
“I made clear that those comments were reprehensible,” he said. “She expressed a deep sense of remorse. She offered to resign, and I accepted.”
