A Moderate From Manhattan Claims Enough Support to Lead City Council

Julie Menin, a councilwoman from Manhattan, said on Wednesday that she had secured enough votes to become the next leader of the City Council.

Ms. Menin, who represents the Upper East Side, said she had the support of at least 36 current and incoming City Council members, more than the 26 votes needed to become the Council’s speaker, considered the second most powerful job in city government.

The victory sets Ms. Menin, 58, up to become an influential voice in setting the agenda for New York City and helping to negotiate its $116 billion budget, which is larger than those of all but a few states. The 51-member Council will officially vote on the position in January and alliances could shift before then.

A moderate Democrat, Ms. Menin was seen by some supporters as a necessary check on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has proposed creating universal child care, making city buses free, freezing the rent for one million tenants and creating city-run grocery stores.


https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/nyregion/julie-menin-nyc-city-council.html