Like mother, like daughter: Virginia Maloney celebrates inauguration to same City Council seat her mom Carolyn Maloney once held

Virginia Maloney has been on the job for the City Council’s 4th District in Manhattan for weeks now, but she celebrated her inauguration in her community with a swearing-in ceremony on Saturday afternoon.

During the Jan. 31 event at the Hunter College Assembly Hall, Maloney placed her right hand on the family Bible as Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath, and members of the audience, including an illustrious roster of Democratic politicians, cheered.

Hosted by Maloney’s predecessor, former Council Majority Leader Keith Powers, the inaugural ceremony featured speeches from City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Senator Chuck Schumer and Maloney’s mother, Upper East Side political stalwart and former U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney.

“As a parent, there’s nothing more gratifying than being recognized for the good deeds of your children,” the elder Maloney said during her prepared remarks.

City Council Member Virginia Maloney with her mother, former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and members of the Maloney family and elected officials.Photo by Jonathan Portee

Virginia Maloney said she was proud to be following in her mother’s political footsteps.

“My mother was a trailblazer; she had a career of firsts. She was the first woman to represent this district, the first woman to have a child on the city council, the first woman to represent the district in Congress,” she said. “As a woman, as a New Yorker, and as her daughter, I owe her so much.”

Upper East Siders handed Virginia Maloney a landslide victory in the general election last November; she pulled a whopping 70% of the vote over her Republican challenger, Debra Schwartzben, and independent candidate Kyle Athayde.

Council Member Maloney succeeds Powers in representing a district that includes parts of both Midtown East and the Upper East Side — Tudor City, home to the United Nations, and the Turtle Bay, Carnegie Hill and Murray Hill neighborhoods.

“This is an exciting moment for the East Side — it’s a tremendous responsibility, and Virginia is gonna do great,” Powers said. “Top of her agenda is making sure that we get universal childcare, which will impact our district and all of New York. I’m also looking forward to her doing a lot of work on the Economic Development Committee.”

State Attorney General Letitia James swears in Council Member Maloney on Jan. 31, 2026.Photo by Jonathan Portee

Maloney, who holds degrees from two Ivy League universities and an MBA in public administration from MIT Sloan, was named chair of the council’s Economic Development Committee last month.

Many of Maloney’s colleagues have expressed excitement about her committee appointment, citing her private-sector experience as critical to addressing a business climate that is “under siege.”

“Eighty-four hundred businesses closed in the second quarter of 2025, according to the New York Times,” said Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, in his speech addressing Maloney’s guests. “But with Virginia’s background in the private sector and particularly technology, I think we can all be assured that she’s well equipped to handle these important issues.”

Council member Lincoln Restler, who has said he is invested in expanding job opportunities and the commercial sector in Downtown Brooklyn, sits next to Maloney in the chambers.

“I hope we’ll be able to work together and partner with the Mamdani administration to develop new strategies for addressing a soft office market and supporting entrepreneurs in the largest commercial hub in Brooklyn,” Restler said.

Maloney was sworn in, alongside five other new council members, in the early afternoon on Dec. 19, as NYC Council members are required by the city charter to take the oath of office and file with the City Clerk within five days of the start of their term. This largely ceremonial swearing-in was initially scheduled for Jan. 25, but was postponed due to the snowstorm that roiled across the city last weekend.