CITY HALL — A City Hall first announced Thursday will see a Staten Island city councilmember reach a new height in the city’s legislative body.
Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat representing the North Shore, will serve as the Council’s majority whip, a position making her a top power broker at City Hall.
“I‘m deeply, deeply honored and privileged to hold the role as a first Staten Islander to lead the majority whip in the New York City Council,” Hanks said. “There has to be equity both fiscally and with policy. We plan to be that voice.”
Council Speaker Julie Menin, a Democrat representing Manhattan’s Upper East Side, announced Hanks as the new majority whip along with the rest of Council leadership heading into 2026.
Menin became Council speaker last week with Hanks serving as one of the members of the Council who nominated the Manhattan councilmember to the top position.
Hanks will be the first councilmember from Staten Island to serve as majority whip, arguably the highest ascension for a Staten Islander.
The speaker said that she hasn’t been a stranger to Staten Island, including during her role as head of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment when she led the effort to open Broadway Stages, a film studio at the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility.
“We have five boroughs and it’s very important that we recognize that,” she said. “We are one city, an inclusive city, where all boroughs have a seat at the table.”
Hanks said her priorities in her new role include advancing the North Shore Action Plan, the opening of the Island’s first Community Justice Center, and the creation of a performing arts high school.
The councilmember is a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, one of the city’s few schools traditionally focused on the performing arts.
Councilmember David Carr, a Council’s Republican minority leader representing the Mid-Island and part of South Brooklyn, was also present at Thursday’s press conference ahead of a Council meeting where committee roles were announced.
“As I have said in the past, Republicans have a vital role to play in this body and in this city, as a voice for conservative values and common sense policies,” Carr said. “I believe the positions of leadership in which our Republican Conference have been placed in this Council is a testament to that, and a hopeful signal that this speaker intends to listen to our voices.”
Hanks will serve on the Committee on Public Safety, Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection, Committee on Contracts, Committee on Environmental Protection & Waterfronts, Committee on Immigration, and the Land Use Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, Resiliency, and Dispositions.
Carr will serve on the Committee on Land Use, Committee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Rules, Privileges, Standards, Ethics & Elections, and the Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises.
Councilmember Frank Morano, a Republican representing the South Shore, will serve on the Committee on Civil Service and Labor, Committee on Criminal Justice, Committee on Finance, Committee on General Welfare, Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation, Committee on Parks and Recreation, Committee on Small Business, as chair of the Committee on Veterans, and as chair of the Committee on Veterans.
“I am named for my grandfather, a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient, and his service has always been a source of pride and responsibility for me. Staten Island is home to one of the largest veteran communities in New York City, and in my first eight months in office I have worked to serve those who have worn the uniform. This chairmanship is a citywide responsibility, and I am eager to advocate for veterans and service members in every borough, whether that means better access to housing, health care, employment, or the respect they have earned,” Morano said. “I am excited to work with Speaker Menin and my colleagues to make New York City a place that truly honors veterans and supports them and their families every day.”