New York City’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has unveiled his first senior appointments as he prepares to take office in January. On Monday, Mamdani announced that Dean Fuleihan, a respected expert in public finance, will serve as First Deputy Mayor, while veteran organizer Elle Bisgaard-Church will become Chief of Staff.
Fuleihan, a seasoned policymaker with extensive experience in New York’s fiscal management, previously held the role of Budget Director under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. His decades-long career in public service includes over thirty years in the New York State Assembly, where he helped shape state spending and financial policy. Observers say his appointment reflects Mamdani’s intention to bring financial stability and strategic oversight to City Hall.
Elle Bisgaard-Church, meanwhile, is well known for her decades of activism and community leadership. As the founder of The Black Institute and a co-founder of the Working Families Party, she has been a major force in advancing social and economic justice across the city. Her background as a grassroots organizer and policy advocate is expected to strengthen the administration’s engagement with New Yorkers at the neighborhood level.
In a press briefing held in Queens, Mamdani described his appointees as individuals who combine “deep institutional knowledge with the courage to reimagine city government.” Political analysts view the selections as a balance between policy experience and progressive ideals, signaling a pragmatic yet ambitious start to the Mamdani administration.The appointments mark the first step in building the leadership framework for the incoming mayor’s team, setting the stage for broader policy announcements in the coming weeks. With Fuleihan’s financial acumen and Elle Bisgaard-Church organizing expertise, Mamdani’s transition appears focused on uniting fiscal discipline with community-driven change-an approach that could define New York City’s political landscape in 2025 and beyond.
