Virginia Maloney has been on the job for the Metropolis Council’s 4th District in Manhattan for weeks now, however she celebrated her inauguration in her group with a swearing-in ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
Picture by Jonathan Portee
Virginia Maloney has been on the job for the Metropolis Council’s 4th District in Manhattan for weeks now, however she celebrated her inauguration in her group with a swearing-in ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
In the course of the Jan. 31 occasion on the Hunter Faculty Meeting Corridor, Maloney positioned her proper hand on the household Bible as Lawyer Basic Letitia James administered the oath, and members of the viewers, together with an illustrious roster of Democratic politicians, cheered.
Hosted by Maloney’s predecessor, former Council Majority Chief Keith Powers, the inaugural ceremony featured speeches from Metropolis Council Speaker Julie Menin, Senator Chuck Schumer and Maloney’s mom, Higher East Facet political stalwart and former U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney.
“As a parent, there’s nothing more gratifying than being recognized for the good deeds of your children,” the elder Maloney stated throughout her ready remarks.
Metropolis Council Member Virginia Maloney together with her mom, former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and members of the Maloney household and elected officers.Picture by Jonathan Portee
Virginia Maloney stated she was proud to be following in her mom’s political footsteps.
“My mother was a trailblazer; she had a career of firsts. She was the first woman to represent this district, the first woman to have a child on the city council, the first woman to represent the district in Congress,” she stated. “As a woman, as a New Yorker, and as her daughter, I owe her so much.”
Higher East Siders handed Virginia Maloney a landslide victory within the common election final November; she pulled a whopping 70% of the vote over her Republican challenger, Debra Schwartzben, and unbiased candidate Kyle Athayde.
Council Member Maloney succeeds Powers in representing a district that features components of each Midtown East and the Higher East Facet — Tudor Metropolis, residence to the United Nations, and the Turtle Bay, Carnegie Hill and Murray Hill neighborhoods.
“This is an exciting moment for the East Side — it’s a tremendous responsibility, and Virginia is gonna do great,” Powers stated. “Top of her agenda is making sure that we get universal childcare, which will impact our district and all of New York. I’m also looking forward to her doing a lot of work on the Economic Development Committee.”
State Lawyer Basic Letitia James swears in Council Member Maloney on Jan. 31, 2026.Picture by Jonathan Portee
Maloney, who holds levels from two Ivy League universities and a grasp’s in Public Administration from MIT, was named chair of the council’s Financial Growth Committee final month.
A lot of Maloney’s colleagues have expressed pleasure about her committee appointment, citing her private-sector expertise as crucial to addressing a enterprise local weather that’s “under siege.”
“Eighty-four hundred businesses closed in the second quarter of 2025, according to the New York Times,” stated Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, in his speech addressing Maloney’s visitors. “But with Virginia’s background in the private sector and particularly technology, I think we can all be assured that she’s well equipped to handle these important issues.”
Council member Lincoln Restler, who has stated he’s invested in increasing job alternatives and the business sector in Downtown Brooklyn, sits subsequent to Maloney within the chambers.
“I hope we’ll be able to work together and partner with the Mamdani administration to develop new strategies for addressing a soft office market and supporting entrepreneurs in the largest commercial hub in Brooklyn,” Restler stated.
Maloney was sworn in, alongside 5 different new council members, within the early afternoon on Dec. 19, as NYC Council members are required by town constitution to take the oath of workplace and file with the Metropolis Clerk inside 5 days of the beginning of their time period. This largely ceremonial swearing-in was initially scheduled for Jan. 25, however was postponed because of the snowstorm that roiled throughout town final weekend.
