In a recent announcement, Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected Mayor of New York City, has unveiled his first significant appointments to the City Hall's core team.
The 74-year-old Dean Fuleihan has been named as the first deputy mayor, while Elle Bisgaard-Church, aged 34, will serve as the chief of staff.
According to One America News, the pair, who stood alongside the Ugandan-Indian Democratic socialist victor during a press conference at Manhattan's Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, are indicative of Mamdani's intent to utilize years of "fiscal maneuvering" to finance his extensive socialist vision.
This vision includes taxpayer-funded buses, childcare, and rent controls, which are projected to inflate the city's already strained $120 billion budget significantly.
Fuleihan, a Lebanese-American with over four decades of public service, is reprising a role he previously held under former Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio from 2018 to 2021. During de Blasio's tenure, Fuleihan, as the budget director and later top deputy, facilitated a 15% expansion of the city's operating budget in the mayor's first term.
This expansion saw the budget rise from approximately $78 billion in the fiscal year 2014 to $90 billion by 2018, with funds being channeled into pre-K expansion, "affordable housing initiatives," and other social equity programs.
However, the Community Service Society of New York has reported that Mayor Bill de Blasio's Housing New York initiative, which aimed to create or preserve 300,000 affordable units by 2026, failed to reach the city's low-income residents. The rent burden remained high, with about 72% of low-income tenants spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
Homelessness also reached near-record levels, averaging over 63,000 people in shelters nightly in 2019, despite the city investing billions into affordable-housing programs.
Fuleihan, who reportedly advised Mamdani throughout the primary and general election, has pledged to use all resources at City Hall's disposal to advance his "affordability agenda." This agenda includes a proposed $630 million annual injection for taxpayer-funded public transit and over $10 billion in new investments for childcare and housing.
Mamdani's agenda also includes making city buses "fast and free," which is estimated to cost $630 million annually to compensate for lost MTA fare revenue.
Standing alongside Mamdani was Elle Bisgaard-Church, a fellow 34-year-old Democratic Socialists of America member, often referred to as his "shadow" since his 2021 Assembly upset. As Mamdani's legislative chief of staff, Bisgaard-Church led certain "priorities," such as debt relief for medallion taxi drivers affected by ride-share giants.
During the mayoral campaign, Bisgaard-Church transitioned to chief adviser, orchestrating the "leftist grassroots surge" that attracted young New Yorkers disillusioned with establishment Democrats.
Despite the city facing a nearly $5 billion budget gap, exacerbated by post-pandemic debt, migrant shelter costs exceeding $4 billion annually, and potential future federal cuts, Mamdani's agenda continues to push forward. His plans, which include heavily taxing wealthier New Yorkers for city-run grocery stores and defunding "non-essential" NYPD functions, have drawn significant criticism from business leaders and moderate Democrats for being "financially unrealistic."
However, supporters like Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres have lauded Fuleihan's selection as "exceptional," citing his "track record" in tense negotiations.
As the city navigates these challenging times, the future of key figures such as NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch remains uncertain amid Mamdani's reform pledges. Meanwhile, City Comptroller Brad Lander, who had initially eyed the deputy role, is now considering a potential congressional bid against Rep. Dan Goldman.
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