With the mayoral election within the rearview, Huge Apple politicos have turned their consideration to a different necessary contest: the race for Metropolis Council speaker.
The present speaker, Adrienne Adams, is term-limited on the finish of this 12 months, that means the physique’s 51 members should select her substitute come January. Subsequent to the mayor, the Metropolis Council speaker often is the most influential determine in metropolis politics — because the chamber’s chief units the physique’s agenda, works with different components of the municipal authorities, controls what laws will get voted on, and wields nice energy in negotiating the yearly finances, which the Council controls.
Up to now, 5 candidates are working to switch Speaker Adams, who was first elected to the submit in early 2022 and has served during outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ (no relation) tenure: Council Members Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn), Amanda Farias (D-Bronx), Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Queens), and Christopher Marte (D-Manhattan).
Though there’s nonetheless over a month to go, the race seems to have narrowed down to 2 candidates: Menin and Hudson. Whoever turns into speaker will want a majority (26) of the 51-member council within the election firstly of the brand new session in January.
A council supply advised New York News it’s exhausting to say precisely what number of members presently help Menin and Hudson. Nevertheless, they supplied an evaluation of the place the members from every borough stand, noting that Queens is generally aligned with Menin, Brooklyn and Staten Island are largely aligned with Hudson, and Manhattan and the Bronx are break up between the 2.
Julie Menin: Why she’s working
Metropolis Council speaker candidate Julie MeninEmil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
Menin took workplace in 2022 and represents a good portion of the Higher East Facet and Roosevelt Island. She advised New York News she is vying for the submit each to counter aggressive federal actions by Republican President Donald Trump towards the 5 boroughs, comparable to his threats to ship within the Nationwide Guard, and to decrease hovering prices throughout the town.
“We’re clearly in a crisis in New York City in terms of some of the threats that we face from Washington with draconian federal cuts, the risk of ICE raids, the potential for military deployment,” she stated.
Menin stated her expertise of serving as commissioner of the Departments of Shopper and Employee Safety, Media and Leisure, and as census director beneath former Mayor Invoice de Blasio — previous to being elected to the council — has ready her for this fraught second.
“I’m running for speaker based on my experience running three city agencies, my legal experience in these very choppy waters that we’re in right now,” she stated.
Crystal Hudson: Why she’s working
Metropolis Council Speaker candidate Crystal HudsonGerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit
Hudson is a progressive who has represented Brooklyn neighborhoods, together with Crown Heights, Fort Greene, and Clinton Hill, since 2022.
“We are in a pivotal political moment, locally, nationally, even globally,” Hudson advised New York News about why she is working.
“I think it’s really important that we have strong and steady leadership that’s rooted in action and accountability,” she continued, “that shows New Yorkers that they have strong leadership in City Hall that will always stand up for them, that will fight back against any interference with the laws of this land.”
Previous to being elected in 2021, Hudson was a staffer in each the Council and the Public Advocate’s workplace. Earlier than coming into authorities, she labored in sports activities advertising and marketing and promoting, after which was impressed to turn out to be a public servant after having to navigate advanced bureaucracies for her mom, who was recognized with Alzheimer’s illness.
Working with the brand new mayor
Maybe the most important query looming over the race is who, if anybody, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will throw his help behind.
The brand new 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor-elect will want a keen companion as council speaker to assist accomplish his sweeping affordability proposals — together with fare-free buses and common little one care. Outgoing Mayor Adams had a really contentious relationship with Speaker Adams that usually led to public fights over laws and the steadiness of energy in Metropolis Corridor.
Hudson, who endorsed Mamdani within the mayor’s race, stated she needs to be a speaker who balances a working relationship with the brand new mayor with the power to additionally push again when obligatory.
“I think that New Yorkers have made a clear mandate that they want and need a more affordable New York City,” Hudson stated, referring to Mamdani successful the mayoral basic election by simply over 50%.
“We need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make the city a livable, affordable city for them,” she continued. “Now that doesn’t mean, of course, that we’re going to agree with everything that the mayor proposes, and when we don’t, I think it’s important that we are loud and clear about our opposition.”
Whereas Menin is extra average than Hudson, she sought to spotlight the “many areas” the place she and Mamdani can work collectively. She stated these embody countering the Trump administration and making the town extra reasonably priced — particularly by implementing free common little one care.
“We’ve got to focus on the issues and the threats that we have coming from Washington,” Menin stated. “We need to focus on the affordability issues around universal child care and housing. We also need to focus on lowering skyrocketing health care prices…These are all areas of alignment.”
Nevertheless, Menin additionally famous she would nonetheless make sure the council holds the brand new administration accountable by its oversight hearings.
Who’s backing Hudson and Menin?
In relation to the extent of help Hudson and Menin have at this level, they each venture confidence of their capability to win — however declined to provide particular counts of what number of members are backing them.
Hudson stated she has “support all across the city.”
The Progressive Caucus member has the vocal backing amongst lots of the physique’s extra left-leaning lawmakers, together with Brooklyn Council Members Lincoln Restler, Sandy Nurse, and Rita Joseph. Additionally standing with Hudson is Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, who deserted her personal speaker bid to face along with her colleague.
Nurse stated she believes Hudson must be the subsequent speaker based mostly on the range of her district and her capability to steadiness being a progressive with standing as much as components of the left when they don’t have “a clear path for solving a problem.”
“I think in that way, she represents a healthy check on the Zohran [Mamdani] administration,” Nurse stated of Hudson. “I think she will be both a collaborative partner, but also someone who will work to build the council’s agenda and assert our agenda.”
In the meantime, Menin stated she has a “broad, diverse coalition of support,” together with a mixture of progressive and average Council members comparable to Shaun Abreu (D-Manhattan), Kevin Riley (D-Bronx), and Linda Lee (D-Queens). Menin additionally has the highly effective Resort and Gaming Trades Council, which supported Mamdani within the basic election, and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks — the Queens County Democratic Occasion chair — standing along with her.
Considered one of Menin’s Council member supporters, Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan), stated he thinks she is “the right leader for our time.”
“She has a proven track record of leadership as a community board chair, a commissioner for various agencies, a City Council member,” stated Bottcher, who on Thursday declared his candidacy for the Congress seat held by the retiring Jerry Nadler. “I think she’d be a steady and forceful hand of our body.”
