BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) — Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani revealed several top-level hires for his administration on Wednesday morning in Brooklyn.
The transition announcement took place at Brooklyn Public Library in Greenpoint.
Mamdani announced that Jahmila Edwards will be the head of the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations and will serve as his liaison to city and state government as he attempts to build support around his aggressive agenda.
Edwards is currently associate director of DC 37, one of the city’s largest unions and key supporters of the mayor-elect in both the primary and the general election.
Edwards previously worked at the city’s Education Department, including as executive director for the agency’s Intergovernmental Affairs Office.
“It is an honor to welcome Jahmila Edwards into this administration and to have her spearhead the work of partnership and collaboration that is critical to delivering the affordability agenda,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani is also announced Catherine Almonte Da Costa as Director of Appointments, another person from the de Blasio administration.
The role marks a return for Da Costa to New York City government, and to the Office of Appointments, where she began her career over a decade ago.
The Mamdani administration is fielding more than 70,000 applications from people who want to work in their government, and part of her responsibilities will be sorting through that.
“It is a privilege to serve the Mayor-elect’s Administration and be tasked with recruiting the talent that will be central to realizing the affordability agenda,” Da Costa said. “A Mayor’s strength lies in his team and we are committed to appointing a team defined by experience, competence, and dedication to the needs of working New Yorkers.”
Another pending announcement is expected in the coming days for Mamdani’s pick for director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget.
The incoming administration will look to address a $380 million budget deficit as it enters office.
A separate study, by Comptroller Brad Lander, projects a $2.18 billion budget shortfall, possibly increasing to more than $13 billion by 2029 due to under budgeting of costs and sluggish economic growth.
The city has previously run a surplus and used it to pre-pay expenses for the upcoming year’s budget, but the mayor’s November plan included more than a billion dollars in new spending, and Mamdani has his own ambitious plans.
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