Meet NYC’s first Jewish City Council speaker, Julie Menin | WATCH

NEW YORK - Council Member Julie Menin was unanimously elected speaker on Monday after a full City Council vote, officially elevating the Manhattan lawmaker to one of the most influential roles at City Hall.

What we know:

The ceremonial swearing-in comes as Mayor Zohran Mamdani begins his first days in office, setting the stage for what both sides say will be a collaborative relationship after years of tension between the council and City Hall under former Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Eric Adams.

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Do Menin and Mamdani get along?

Menin has already signaled a willingness to work closely with Mamdani, saying she’s had productive early conversations with the new mayor, even as he has faced criticism — particularly from Jewish leaders — over his past views on Israel. 

Menin, who is Jewish and represents Manhattan’s East Side and Roosevelt Island, is expected to play a key role in bridging ideological and political divides as the council navigates major policy fights ahead.

Public safety

One of the first tests of that working relationship could come around public safety. 

Mamdani campaigned on creating a Department of Community Safety, aimed at shifting some emergency responses away from police officers and toward mental health crisis teams. The mayor has stressed the plan is meant to supplement, not replace, the NYPD — an assurance likely to be closely examined by the council under Menin’s leadership.

Who is Julie Menin?

The backstory:

Menin is the first Jewish City Council speaker and brings deep institutional experience to the job. 

An attorney and former small business owner, she has spent more than two decades in public service, including stints as commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Media and Entertainment, and most recently as New York City’s Census director. 

Menin, Trump

In that role, she helped defeat the Trump administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question and oversaw a record census turnout that secured the city its share of more than $1.5 trillion in federal funding over the next decade.

City Council

Since joining the City Council, Menin has emerged as one of its most prolific lawmakers. 

She has sponsored more than 18 bills, including the Healthcare Accountability Act to rein in excessive hospital pricing, legislation expanding access to universal childcare, and measures strengthening protections for reproductive health care. 

As chair of the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection and co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, she has also focused on easing burdens on small businesses and expanding worker rights.

Jewish heritage, Holocaust

Local perspective:

Menin’s resume also includes leading high-profile public-private partnerships, from launching NYC Kids RISE — which has seeded college savings accounts for more than 280,000 public school students — to spearheading Holocaust education initiatives through the Museum of Jewish Heritage. 

She has spoken openly about her family’s history, noting that her mother and grandmother survived the Holocaust before settling on the Upper East Side, where Menin now lives with her husband and children.

That personal history, combined with her technocratic approach to governing, could shape how she navigates sensitive issues at City Hall — including foreign policy flashpoints that often reverberate locally, as well as debates over public safety, housing, and affordability.

As the council prepares to vote Wednesday, allies say Menin’s experience and coalition-building style position her as a stabilizing force at a moment of political transition. 

Whether that translates into a smoother relationship with Mayor Mamdani — and meaningful progress on his ambitious agenda — will become clearer in the weeks ahead.

Zohran MamdaniPolitics