New York City Council Unanimously Elects Julie Menin as Speaker

Julie Menin is officially New York City Council speaker, succeeding Adrienne Adams as the council’s legislative leader.

City Council members voted unanimously for Menin to take over the role, as she had been seen as the front-runner for some time leading up to Wednesday’s vote. Menin represents a district covering the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island since she was elected to City Council in 2021.

In the days leading up to the vote, Menin had the vocal support of 35 council members, well above the 26 votes needed in the 51-member body of lawmakers.

The former regulatory attorney previously served as commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and as commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.

Menin ran for the speaker’s office on a platform advocating for more affordable housing, lower health care costs, reduced fines on New Yorkers and streamlined bureaucratic processes for small businesses.

“We as a council will release our own affordable housing plan by looking at the 215 public library branches we can use,” Menin said in a speech following the vote. “And we are going to study the 1,000 [Department of Citywide Administrative Services] underutilized and city-owned assets that we can convert into affordable housing for New Yorkers who need them.”

Fellow council members Kevin Riley, Shaun Abreu, Farah Louis, Linda Lee, Kamillah Hanks, Shekar Krishnan and Eric Dinowitz nominated Menin for the role, but she did not have the backing of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who put his support behind Brooklyn Councilmember Crystal Hudson, according to reports.

While Mamdani serves as the first mayor of Muslim faith and struggles with the perception of being antisemitic by condemning Israel’s actions in the ongoing war in Gaza, Menin could provide a counterbalance as the first Jewish council speaker.

Menin and Hudson ran against council members Chris Marte, Selvena Brooks-Powers and Amanda Farias in the race.

“The New York Building Congress has long worked with Speaker Menin on issues critical to our built environment, and she brings a deep understanding of how thoughtful policy translates into real projects, jobs, and opportunity,” New York Building Congress President Carlo Scissura said in a statement. “Her proven record of public service and practical leadership will be essential as the city confronts its housing and infrastructure challenges.”

Menin, 58, plans to use the office, which has a staff of about 800 members, to investigate bad actors such as debt collectors and the insurance industry, she told The New York Times.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.