Mamdani Appoints Real Estate Leaders to Business Advisory Council

Business leaders in New York City could have Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ear as the administration convenes a quarterly advisory council to address private sector needs.

Fifteen business leaders — including RXR’s Scott Rechler — will provide the mayor with feedback through the Business Advisory Council to keep momentum going behind high job numbers in 2026 so far, according to the administration.

The mayor’s office cited not only skyrocketing office leasing figures but also robust employment numbers. Employment in the five boroughs reached 4,852,400 jobs as of July 2026 with over 6,000 private sector jobs added in the first half of the year, according to data from a report released Thursday morning by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

“This council brings together the people building the next generation of New York’s economy — in finance, tech, life sciences and beyond — to help us double down on what makes this city the best place on Earth to start a company, grow a business and build a career,” Mamdani said in a statement. “We want the most ambitious people in the world to come here, stay here and build here.”  

The announcement follows blowback against Mamdani by private industry leaders such as Citadel’s Ken Griffin and Vornado Realty Trust’s Steve Roth over the pied-à-terre tax, which Mamdani launched with a video targeting Griffin’s multimillion-dollar second home in Manhattan.

Some of the other members of the Business Advisory Council, who are involved directly or indirectly in real estate, include Steiner Studios Chairman Doug Steiner, Jefferson River Capital Chairman Tony James, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and Amalgamated Bank President and CEO Priscilla Sims Brown.

“Since Mayor Mamdani took office, I have found him and his team to be constructive and responsive partners,” RXR’s Rechler said in a statement. “As a New Yorker who cares deeply about this city, I look forward to working with them and my fellow council members to provide candid input on what it takes to keep New York the greatest city in the world.”

It wouldn’t be the first government advisory body Rechler has served on.

In 2022, he was selected as a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Traffic Mobility Review Board, which helped draft the recommended toll structure for what would become congestion pricing into Manhattan’s central business district.

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