NEW YORK – New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has made his first key appointments, selecting seasoned government veteran Dean Fuleihan as his first deputy mayor and long-time aide Elle Bisgaard-Church as his chief of staff.
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Fuleihan, 74, brings decades of experience in city and state government, including a stint as budget director and first deputy mayor under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. He will oversee the daily operations of City Hall, helping Mamdani implement his ambitious policy agenda and navigate potential conflicts with federal officials, including former President Donald Trump.
Meet incoming First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan and Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-Church.
Together, they will lead the charge in executing our affordability agenda and building an administration defined by competence, boldness and delivering for the people of this city. pic.twitter.com/j99AyOEuhm
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 10, 2025
Bisgaard-Church, 34, a democratic socialist like Mamdani, has served as his chief of staff in the State Assembly and played a key role in managing his campaign. She will now carry that leadership into City Hall.
Mamdani, 34, said the appointments aim to create “a capable administration that delivers an affordable, livable city for working people.” The new mayor faces significant challenges, including proposals to expand free public transportation, government-funded child care, and rent freezes for nearly a million apartments.
Dean Fuleihan is a steady, principled public servant who has dedicated his career to making government work for New Yorkers.
His experience and integrity will be invaluable in this role.
A great choice and a win for New Yorkers. https://t.co/h4WFMfjnsb
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 10, 2025
Securing these initiatives will require approval from state lawmakers and Governor Kathy Hochul, along with funding through new revenue measures. Mamdani’s plans have already drawn scrutiny from Trump, who has labeled him a radical and warned of withholding federal funds if policies conflict with his views.
Fuleihan has been advising Mamdani behind the scenes during the transition and brings experience negotiating budgets and labor contracts from his years with the de Blasio administration and the State Assembly.
Mamdani’s announcement comes as he moves quickly to fill top positions, following a precedent of appointing a diverse transition team and prioritizing women for leadership roles. Additional appointments, including schools chancellor, are expected in the coming weeks.
There are few people on earth who know the workings of city and state government as deeply as Dean Fuleihan, who has served as the First Deputy Mayor of NYC, the Director of NYC OMB, the chief fiscal advisor to the Assembly Speaker, and a seasoned negotiator on the state budget.… https://t.co/RRnw7Ntias
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) November 10, 2025
The eve of destruction is coming to nyc …
hes an Arab this Fulehan guy
“You can only confiscate the wealth that exists at a given moment. You cannot confiscate future wealth — and that future wealth is less likely to be produced when people see that it is going to be confiscated.” -Thomas Sowell on the Fallacy of Redistribution
The path to marginalizing the Jewish self-determination on what we consider anti-Jewsih and hurtful to us, begins with Mamdani establishing his credentials as a suprsiing moderate and level-headed person. And once that can be established, the anti Mamdani will melt away, making those who oppose his path seem more radical. Ultimately, the ‘good, reasonable Jews’ will be embraced and those who seek not to allow others decide if we can have a homeland, what Jewish Jewishness really means will be marganilzed as kooks and fanatics. The more efficient Mamdani becomes, the better of a Mayor, the more reasonable he seems, the better he can disarm the Jews of their right to determine what is important to us and what is offensive to us.
IT’S TIME TO GO HOME AND THE TIME IS NOW!!!!