Julie Menin says she has enough votes to become the next NYC Council Speaker

City Council Member Julie Menin said Wednesday that she had secured enough support among colleagues to become the next speaker of the New York City Council when the new session begins in January.

The Upper East Side council member said she has obtained public commitments from 36 current and incoming Council members — 10 more than the 26-vote required majority — giving her what she called a “supermajority” backing.

Menin would be the first Jewish woman ever elected to the speaker post. Her anticipated election to the office on Jan. 7 will come on the heels of Zohran Mamdani taking office as the first Muslim mayor in New York City history on Jan. 1.

The coalition, she said, includes members from all five boroughs, as well as labor unions including the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, 32BJ SEIU, the United Federation of Teachers, and the New York City District Council of Carpenters.

“I am honored and humbled by the trust and faith that my colleagues have put in me to lead the City Council as a force of action for New York families,” Menin said in a statement.

She added that she expects to work closely with Mayor-elect Mamdani’s administration on an agenda centered on affordability, including universal childcare, lowering rent and healthcare costs, and improving the quality of life.

City Council Member Julie Menin speaking at a Nov. 25 hearing.William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit

Menin said her top priority at the head of the chamber would be supporting Council members in serving their districts and securing resources for their communities.

The moderate Democrat, according to the Daily News, had reportedly suggested reviving the chamber’s subpoena power while campaigning for Speaker, a mechanism that could serve as a check on the incoming Mamdani administration.

Mamdani’s transition spokesperson, Dora Pekec, said the mayor-elect spoke with the council member Wednesday afternoon, and “looks forward to working with her and the entire City Council to deliver on our affordability agenda for New Yorkers.”

Menin did not endorse any candidate in the mayor’s race, even after Mamdani’s sizeable primary win. Mamdani, for his part, kept his distance from the Council’s leadership race and did not weigh in on who his preferred candidate was.

Menin seen as ‘common sense voice’

Those backing Menin’s bid said they were doing so based on her experience, leadership, and commitment to working families, highlighting her decades of public service, including her work as a Council member, two-time NYC commissioner, small business owner, and Community Board chair.

“Julie is tough, principled, and relentlessly focused on delivering for working families,” said Council Member Shaun Abreu.

Council Member Erik Bottcher added, “She is a proven leader who delivers real results, champions transparency, and knows how to bring people together to solve the toughest problems facing our city.”

Council Member James Gennaro, the Council’s longest-serving active member, emphasized Menin’s ability to unite the body: “Julie possesses the qualities and capabilities the Council and the city need — great leadership, extensive experience, deep respect from the Members, a commitment to fairness, and the ability to project the power of the Council as a co-equal partner alongside the executive branch.

Five Republican members of the council backed Menin, like Vickie Paladino, who called her “an able leader and trusted colleague… someone who listens and understands all perspectives,” while Inna Vernikov framed Menin as the “common sense voice we need in city government” to maintain oversight and accountability.

Menin also earned the backing of major labor unions, including the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, 32BJ SEIU, the United Federation of Teachers, and the New York City District Council of Carpenters.

“Julie has the experience and commitment needed to meet this moment, and to work alongside Mayor-Elect Mamdani to create a better, stronger, and more affordable city for all hardworking New Yorkers,” said Rich Maroko of the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council.

Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Retirees, congratulated Menin on her apparent election to the speaker post.

“We look forward to engaging in the democratic process with her and Council Member Christopher Marte in passing Intro 1096 to protect our Retirees Traditional Medicare Benefits and getting them out of the current medical affordability crisis,” she added.

The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), which has opposed the Mayor-elect’s campaign promise of a rent freeze for the city’s stabilized units, welcomed Menin’s apparent path to the speakership. The group has argued that such a freeze would raise costs for the city’s 1.1 million market-rate units.

“Councilmember Menin is an accomplished public servant with a demonstrated record of leadership. We are confident she will lead the Council with vision and pragmatism and advance housing and economic growth policies that will strengthen communities across the city,” said James Whelan, REBNY president.

‘We came up short’

The speaker is responsible for overseeing the Council’s legislative agenda and plays a significant role in determining which bills are advanced for a vote. The position also serves as a central liaison between the Council, the mayor’s office, and other city agencies.

In addition to managing legislation, the speaker serves as the Council’s public voice, advocating for residents and weighing in on broad city issues such as housing, transit, schools, and public safety.

With outgoing Speaker Adrienne Adams term-limited, several Council members had entered the race to succeed her, including Majority Leader Amanda Farías of District 18, Christopher Marte of District 1, and Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers of District 31.

After Menin’s announcement, Brooks-Powers acknowledged she would not have the votes to win. In a statement, she said she entered public service to ensure “working people shouldn’t be squeezed out of their own neighborhoods” and ran for speaker to help make New York “a place where everyday people can thrive.”

“Unfortunately, we came up short,” she said, congratulating Menin on securing the support needed for the speakership and thanking colleagues for what she described as a deliberative process. Brooks-Powers said she looks forward to working with the new speaker, the mayor, and her fellow members “as we fight to enact an agenda that centers working people and as we strive for a safer, more affordable city for all.”

One of the earliest contenders in the Speaker race, Christopher Marte, officially endorsed Menin’s bid on Wednesday, saying he trusts her leadership to implement the reforms that were the driving force behind his campaign.

“Most importantly, I look forward to finally delivering justice to the thousands of women of color in NYC who are working inhumane 24-hour shifts. Julie is the candidate I trust most to deliver these women justice and pass the No More 24 Act in the first quarter of next year,” said Marte.

Farías said she was proud of the race she ran and congratulated Menin on her victory, in a statement late Wednesday.

“I look forward to continuing our work together in leadership and partnering with the incoming administration to advance priorities that center working-class New Yorkers,” the council’s Democratic majority leader said.

However, it was Brooklyn’s Crystal Hudson who emerged as Menin’s strongest opponent, with 1199SEIU even throwing its considerable weight behind the progressive’s bid just hours before Menin declared her super majority.

“Crystal Hudson is a champion for organized labor who always puts the needs of hardworking New Yorkers at the forefront of her advocacy, and we are honored to support her bid to become the next Speaker of the New York City Council,” Yvonne Armstrong, president of the powerful healthcare workers union, said early Wednesday.

Hudson later conceded the race in a statement, not mentioning Menin, saying it had been a “true honor to run for Speaker of the New York City Council – an institution I cherish and have dedicated my career in public service to upholding.”

“I have always said this should be a member-driven process; and today, my colleagues have made their choice clear,” Hudson said. “I am deeply grateful to all of my supporters and proud of the broad coalition we have built. I am optimistic and excited for the future of our city and look forward to continuing to deliver for the City that we all love.”