New York, Nov 10 (EFE). - New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appointed Dean Fuleihan as his first deputy mayor on Monday. Fuleihan served as budget director under the administration of Bill de Blasio (2014-21). Mamdani also appointed his principal advisor, Elle Bisgaard-Church, as his chief of staff, the mayor-elect's team announced in a statement. According to the release, 74-year-old Fuleihan will bring «more than 40 years of experience in municipal and state administration», including managing a budget of over $100 billion during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Fuleihan also served as first deputy mayor under de Blasio from 2018 to 2021, overseeing the city's budget, labor, education, criminal justice, and sustainability portfolios. Elle Bisgaard-Church, who led Mamdani's victory in the June Democratic primary, previously served as the mayor-elect's chief of staff in the State Assembly, where she «contributed to creating successful campaigns to achieve debt forgiveness for taxi drivers» or secure «historic investments» for the MTA (The Metropolitan Transportation Authority), including a free bus pilot program. «With Dean Fuleihan as first deputy mayor and Elle Bisgaard-Church as chief of staff, I have no doubt that we will build a strong and competent administration that will provide an affordable and livable city for working people,» Mamdani said in the statement. Last week, Mamdani introduced his transition team, which includes Elana Leopold, who also worked with de Blasio, and Maria Torres-Springer, who was the first deputy to outgoing Mayor Eric Adams. Mamdani, born in Uganda, a Democrat, Muslim, and socialist, will become the youngest mayor of New York City since 1892 when he takes office in January, after winning the election with 50.4% of the vote, according to preliminary results.
