Julie Menin has made history by being elected as the new speaker of the City Council, becoming the chamber’s first Jewish leader. She has committed to using her position to mend political and cultural “divides” across New York City’s five boroughs.
Menin’s appointment was confirmed with a unanimous vote of 51-0 by the Council members during their first meeting of 2026.
As the leading figure of the Council, Menin will encounter pressure from moderates and conservatives to act as a counterbalance to the policies of the democratic socialist Mayor Mamdani. Prior to the vote, several Republican members of the Council, including Brooklyn’s Inna Vernikov, specifically called on Menin to oppose what they described as Mamdani’s “radical, Marxist agenda.”
Following the vote, Menin, who positions herself as a centrist Democrat, addressed the Council with a message of unity.
“We are witnessing a time when New York City has its first Muslim mayor and its first Jewish Council speaker serving concurrently. Truly, this is a historic moment,” Menin stated, receiving applause despite not having supported Mamdani’s mayoral campaign.
“The real historical significance of this interfaith leadership will be its ability to bring us together — to soothe tensions, to connect across divides, and to remind us that we are one city, regardless of our religion or the language we speak,” she added.
Menin, an Upper East Side Democrat, also honed in on some areas of agreement between herself and Mamdani, specifically childcare, which the mayor promised on the campaign trail to make free for all kids between 6 weeks and 5 years.
“We have worked to take the first steps to enact universal childcare — and by working with the mayor and governor, we can truly make it a reality,” she said.
Many of Mamdani’s campaign promises, including on childcare, are contingent on action and funding from Gov. Hochul and the state Legislature, not the City Council. Still, the Council speaker can exact significant influence over city and state priorities, and Mamdani could benefit in his push for tax hikes from bully pulpit assistance from Menin.
As for issues closer to home, Menin and Mamdani are expected to soon begin negotiating this year’s city government budget, a process that kicks off with the release of the mayor’s preliminary spending proposal due at the end of January.
Among potential sticking points in the city budget talks could be public safety.
Mamdani has pledged to keep the NYPD’s officer headcount flat and allocate $1 billion for a proposed new agency, the Department of Community Safety, that would absorb certain functions from the police, like handling mental health calls.
Projections also show big city budget deficits for the coming fiscal year, which starts July 1, a troubling outlook that may require Mamdani and Menin to find new revenue or make cuts in order balance the spending plan. That picture is made more complicated by federal funding cuts from President Trump’s administration.
As to public safety, Menin said she seeks to strike a balance. “Our city needs meaningful criminal justice reform, and at the same time we must have the requisite resources for robust public safety measures,” she said.
Another potential flash point in the relationship between Menin and Mamdani is Israel’s war in Gaza.
Mamdani, a longtime advocate for Palestinians rights, has accused Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza.
Menin is a supporter of Israel and has voiced concern about pro-Palestine protests in the city, saying they fan the flames of antisemitism. She made brief reference to that concern in her floor speech, saying “we must never jeopardize a New Yorker’s right to worship.”
“Because we cannot let what happened outside Park East Synagogue ever happen again, at any house of worship,” Menin said, a reference to a raucous pro-Palestine rally that took place outside that Manhattan temple in November.
After the Park East confict, a spokeswoman for Mamdani said he “discouraged the language” used at the protest but also chided the synagogue for letting a group host an event that promoted “activities in violation of international law.”
Mamdani didn’t attend Wednesday’s Council vote. His first deputy mayor, Dean Fuleihan, and intergovernmental affairs director, Jahmila Edwards, were on hand though.
Menin’s election was a forgone conclusion, as she announced in late November she had secured support from a supermajority of her colleagues in late November.
Menin has been acting as the presumptive speaker, even appearing in that capacity alongside Mamdani at a press conference earlier this week.
Menin’s main challenger in the speaker’s race was Crystal Hudson, a progressive Council member and closer ally to Mamdani.Hudson dropped out of the internal contest and pledged support for Menin after her November victory declaration.
Upon entering the Council chamber ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Menin walked over to Hudson’s desk and gave her a hug.
In remarks before voting for Menin, Hudson said the city needs leaders who can “share power,” voiced support for the Mamdani agenda and said many members are ready to “fight tooth and nail to enact it.”
First elected to the Council in 2021, Menin previously worked as commissioner of the city Department of Consumer Affairs under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Before Wednesday’s vote, Menin has hired Miguelina Camilo, currently counsel to State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, to serve as her chief of staff, as first reported by the Daily News.
Camilo ran a primary challenge against Bronx state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a progressive Democrat and close ally to Mamdani, in the 2022 primaries.
