The mayor-elect:
Born in Uganda and raised in New York City, he has fought for the working class in and outside the legislature: hunger striking alongside taxi drivers to achieve more than $450 million in transformative debt relief, winning over $100 million in the state budget for increased subway service and a successful fare-free bus pilot, and organizing New Yorkers to defeat a proposed dirty power plant. The cost of living is crushing working people but Zohran believes that government can lower costs and make life easier in our city — he’ll use every tool available to bring down the rent, create world class public transit, and make it easier to raise a family.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced his transition leadership team on Wednesday:
➤ Transition Co-Chairs: Grace Bonilla, Lina Khan, Maria Torres-Springer, and Melanie Hartzog
➤ Transition Executive Director: Elana Leopold
The transition team, with backgrounds in housing, regulation, and social policy, will oversee the process of staffing city agencies and developing policy priorities ahead of Mamdani’s January inauguration. In a statement, Mamdani said the group would help “build a government of public servants that will drive down costs and keep all New Yorkers safe.”
Additional Details: Grace Bonilla leads United Way of New York City and previously served as administrator of the city’s Human Resources Administration. Melanie Hartzog heads The New York Foundling and is a former deputy mayor for health and human services. Lina Khan, who chaired the Federal Trade Commission under President Biden, is known for her work on antitrust enforcement. Maria Torres-Springer, former first deputy mayor and housing commissioner, will advise on affordability and urban development. Elana Leopold, a longtime political strategist and senior adviser to Mamdani’s campaign, will serve as the transition’s executive director.
The appointments mark the first major step in organizing Mamdani’s incoming administration, which he has said will prioritize affordability, housing, and public accountability.
Born in Uganda and raised in New York City, he has fought for the working class in and outside the legislature: hunger striking alongside taxi drivers to achieve more than $450 million in transformative debt relief, winning over $100 million in the state budget for increased subway service and a successful fare-free bus pilot, and organizing New Yorkers to defeat a proposed dirty power plant. The cost of living is crushing working people but Zohran believes that government can lower costs and make life easier in our city — he’ll use every tool available to bring down the rent, create world class public transit, and make it easier to raise a family.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced his transition leadership team on Wednesday:
➤ Transition Co-Chairs: Grace Bonilla, Lina Khan, Maria Torres-Springer, and Melanie Hartzog
➤ Transition Executive Director: Elana Leopold
The transition team, with backgrounds in housing, regulation, and social policy, will oversee the process of staffing city agencies and developing policy priorities ahead of Mamdani’s January inauguration. In a statement, Mamdani said the group would help “build a government of public servants that will drive down costs and keep all New Yorkers safe.”
Additional Details: Grace Bonilla leads United Way of New York City and previously served as administrator of the city’s Human Resources Administration. Melanie Hartzog heads The New York Foundling and is a former deputy mayor for health and human services. Lina Khan, who chaired the Federal Trade Commission under President Biden, is known for her work on antitrust enforcement. Maria Torres-Springer, former first deputy mayor and housing commissioner, will advise on affordability and urban development. Elana Leopold, a longtime political strategist and senior adviser to Mamdani’s campaign, will serve as the transition’s executive director.
The appointments mark the first major step in organizing Mamdani’s incoming administration, which he has said will prioritize affordability, housing, and public accountability.
