Dean Fuleihan, a veteran of Albany and New York City Hall, is joining Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s administration to run the city day to day, a job he did for Bill de Blasio.
As first deputy mayor, Fuleihan, 74, will bring over four decades of government experience to the administration of Mamdani, 34, who will become the youngest mayor in over a century.
Mamdani made the appointment Monday morning, also announcing that his chief of staff will be Elle Bisgaard-Church, his most trusted adviser and the architect of his stunning win in the Democratic primary.
In the de Blasio administration, Fuleihan was the budget czar before being elevated to the first deputy position. Fuleihan also had been a top negotiator in the State Legislature, experience that will be key in trying to execute the mayor-elect’s campaign pledges, particularly those that require state authorization, such as free buses and raising taxes on the rich.
Bisgaard-Church, 34, oversaw the then-tiny campaign staffed mostly by young people to elect Mamdani, a state assemblyman representing parts of Queens. That campaign went from polling around 1% to the shocking defeat of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
Mamdani will take office on Jan. 1.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.