From a DOT commissioner who loves bike lanes to a Corporation Counsel who once represented the homeless, here is who is actually in charge
Building a Government From Scratch
On January 1, 2026, Zohran Mamdani became the 112th mayor of New York City. In the weeks and months that followed, he has assembled a team of commissioners, deputy mayors, and senior officials who collectively represent one of the most ideologically coherent municipal administrations in the city’s modern history. Understanding who these people are — where they came from, what they believe, and what their presence in city government means — is essential to understanding what the Mamdani administration will actually do. This guide draws on reporting from City and State New York, the Mayor’s Office, and public records to map the key players in New York’s new government.
The Deputy Mayor Structure
Mamdani organized his senior leadership around a set of deputy mayors covering the major domains of city government. Julia Kerson, a veteran city official, serves as Deputy Mayor for Operations, overseeing agencies including DCAS and DEP. The appointment of Dean Fuleihan — a longtime city budget expert and CUNY senior fellow who helped draft a report on the state-city fiscal relationship that now forms the basis of Mamdani’s Albany pitch — as First Deputy Mayor signals the administration’s seriousness about fiscal strategy. The Corporation Counsel seat went to Steven Banks, the former social services commissioner who is known for his decades of legal advocacy on behalf of homeless New Yorkers.
The Commissioners
The cabinet appointments reflect Mamdani’s priorities across policy areas. Dr. Alister Martin, an emergency room physician from Jackson Heights who went to Harvard Medical School and the Kennedy School, was named Commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The appointment of Stanley Richards as Commissioner of Correction was historic: Richards is the first formerly incarcerated individual to lead the agency in city history. Lisa Garcia, who has spent decades fighting for environmental and climate justice, was named Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn, hired from the consulting firm TYLin, has been tasked with making city streets “the envy of the world” — a mandate that has produced some early tensions with entrenched agency cultures. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels is a veteran educator who has been central to the childcare rollout.
The Office of Mass Engagement
One of the most novel additions to City Hall is the Office of Mass Engagement, led by Tascha Van Auken, the organizer who ran two democratic socialist campaigns before joining Mamdani’s operation and led the door-knocking program that knocked an estimated three million doors. The office is designed to sustain community participation in city governance after the election — an attempt to translate campaign energy into governing power.
The Legal and Immigrant Affairs Apparatus
Ramzi Kassem, a former senior adviser in the Biden White House on immigration, serves as Mamdani’s right-hand legal adviser. Faiza Ali, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, leads the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Ana Maria Archila, the former co-director of the New York Working Families Party who ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2022, leads the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs. The appointment of Sam Levine — who led the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC under President Biden — to lead the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection signals the administration’s intent to use that agency aggressively. The Mayor’s Office has published full bios for all senior appointments. City and State New York has maintained a comprehensive running guide to the administration’s appointments. For New Yorkers trying to understand how decisions are actually made in the Mamdani era, knowing these names and their histories is the starting point.
