In a surprise move, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani acknowledged Councilmember Julie Menin as the next City Council speaker, despite not endorsing her in the general election. The Upper East Side lawmaker secured enough support among the next City Council to claim the coveted spot, which has broad influence over budget negotiations and legislation.
Mamdani expressed excitement about working with Menin to fulfill their shared agenda of affordability, citing New York's status as the most expensive city in the US. He acknowledged that affordability is a pressing issue for many New Yorkers. Notably, his comments came after Menin announced her candidacy, without Mamdani's explicit endorsement.
Menin's path to becoming speaker has raised concerns about her potential role in moderating Mamdani's democratic socialist policies. Some observers have noted that her leadership could serve as a check on the mayor-elect's ambitious goals.
When asked about his strategy for working with Menin and other council members, Mamdani sidestepped questions regarding support for other speaker candidates who backed his campaign. However, he emphasized the need for cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government to achieve an affordability agenda.
The new Council speaker will have significant influence over how legislation is processed in the chamber. Historically, current Speaker Adrienne Adams has clashed with Mayor Eric Adams over budget negotiations, often relying on supermajorities to override mayoral vetoes.
Mamdani and Menin engaged in a phone conversation on Wednesday, discussing potential policy initiatives such as universal childcare, affordable housing, and cost reductions for New Yorkers. However, there is no mention of Mamdani's proposed Department of Community Safety, which aims to shift mental health calls from police officers to social workers.
Mamdani expressed excitement about working with Menin to fulfill their shared agenda of affordability, citing New York's status as the most expensive city in the US. He acknowledged that affordability is a pressing issue for many New Yorkers. Notably, his comments came after Menin announced her candidacy, without Mamdani's explicit endorsement.
Menin's path to becoming speaker has raised concerns about her potential role in moderating Mamdani's democratic socialist policies. Some observers have noted that her leadership could serve as a check on the mayor-elect's ambitious goals.
When asked about his strategy for working with Menin and other council members, Mamdani sidestepped questions regarding support for other speaker candidates who backed his campaign. However, he emphasized the need for cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government to achieve an affordability agenda.
The new Council speaker will have significant influence over how legislation is processed in the chamber. Historically, current Speaker Adrienne Adams has clashed with Mayor Eric Adams over budget negotiations, often relying on supermajorities to override mayoral vetoes.
Mamdani and Menin engaged in a phone conversation on Wednesday, discussing potential policy initiatives such as universal childcare, affordable housing, and cost reductions for New Yorkers. However, there is no mention of Mamdani's proposed Department of Community Safety, which aims to shift mental health calls from police officers to social workers.
This is crazy! Like, the Mayor-elect just picked a speaker who didn't even get his endorsement in the election... what's going on here? 
I'm kinda worried that Menin's gonna be all about checking Mamdani's socialist policies and stuff... like, will she let him do his thing or try to bring him down? 
I don't know, it's all a bit confusing right now... 
I mean, who knew the mayor-elect was secretly a fan of affordability? Like, Zohran just wanted someone with skills and a plan, not a personal endorsement deal 
. This Council speaker thing is gonna be interesting, especially if Julie Menin starts throwing shade at the mayor's socialist policies 
. Adrienne Adams must be like "what's good?" right now, wondering how she lost that spot 
They used to be all like "Let's make New York affordable for everyone!" not just as a slogan, but actual plans. Now it feels like they're playing this game of chicken where who's gonna blink first is anyone's guess.
It's good that Menin is getting the nod as speaker, even if it was kinda surprising given Mamdani didn't explicitly endorse her in the election. At least now we get to see how these two are gonna work together on affordability and all that jazz. And yeah, it's interesting to note that there might be some tension between them over policy initiatives... but hey, that's what makes politics right? 
The drama, the intrigue...
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. The conversation between Mamdani and Menin on potential initiatives such as universal childcare and affordable housing is a promising start to building a unified front on affordability 
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. Will Menin's leadership be able to provide the necessary support for this ambitious initiative? Only time will tell 
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. I mean, he didn't even endorse her in the election, but still manages to hand her the speaker position? That's some pretty backroom politics if you ask me 
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. But hey, he seems chill about it and they're both talking about affordability which is a major issue in NYC 
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️. If they can make it work, that's the real goal 
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