Julie Menin unanimously elected as City Council’s first Jewish Speaker

The New York City Council on Wednesday unanimously elected Manhattan Council Member Julie Menin as speaker — the first Jewish person to hold the post, a role in which she pledged to be a speaker for “every single member of this council.”

Menin was elected during the Council’s 2026 Charter Meeting on Jan. 7, opening a new legislative session and continuing a women-majority Council. She succeeds former Speaker Adrienne Adams, who was term-limited, and assumes the powerful position responsible for setting the Council’s agenda, overseeing committee assignments, and serving as a central negotiating figure with the mayor’s office.

In her first speech as speaker, Menin thanked her colleagues for their support, saying she was “humbled by the faith, trust, and confidence you have placed in me.” Menin had announced in November that she had secured enough votes from across the political divide to land the role come Jan. 7, ending the short‑lived race for Speaker.

Speaker Menin, a three-time city commissioner and former regulatory attorney, wove her family’s history into her remarks, describing her mother and grandmother as Holocaust survivors who immigrated to New York in the 1950s.

“When I think about what that honor means, I think about what brought me to this moment, and what brought all of us here today: It is the story of America, which is the story of New York — and that is the story of immigrants,” she said.

She described her path into public service, including opening a restaurant in Lower Manhattan before the Sept. 11 attacks. “That broken promise forged a new one within me — a promise to take on large corporations that engaged in predatory conduct,” Menin said.

Menin also recalled her role as chair of Manhattan Community Board 1, including supporting the creation of an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero amid public opposition and threats.

“We live in a day when the first Muslim mayor of New York City, and the first Jewish speaker of this Council, are serving at the same time,” she said. “This moment truly is historic.”

“But what will write this interfaith leadership into the history books is if it can act as an opportunity for all of us to come together — to calm tensions, to bridge divides, and to recognize we are one city, no matter the religion we practice or the language we speak.”

Julie Menin delivers her first speech as New York City Council speaker during the 2026 Charter Meeting at City Hall on Jan. 7.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

In outlining her agenda, Menin pledged a more proactive Council focused on affordability, housing, health care costs and economic inequality. She cited past Council work on combating antisemitism, addressing health disparities and maternal mortality, and advancing universal child care.

“As the first Jewish speaker, I want my vision of leadership to be as focused on dissolving division as it is on uniting all coalitions,” Menin said.

She closed by emphasizing collaboration among the Council’s 51 members. “As a body of 51 individuals, the legislation that is most life-changing and forward-thinking comes from the collection of policies to which all of us contribute,” she said.

Menin said her goal as speaker would be to lead a Council that works collectively to make New York “a city that leaves no one behind.”

Afterwards, Menin announced a senior leadership team for her office, including historic firsts for the Council.

Miguelina Camilo will serve as chief of staff, the first woman and Latina to hold the position, while Simone A. Jones will serve as deputy chief of staff and the Council’s first-ever chief equity officer.

“I’m proud to announce this exceptional and diverse team of senior leaders, who bring deep experience in government and a shared commitment to serving New Yorkers,” said Menin said in a statement. “Together, we will work to build a city that’s more affordable, with a stronger, more equitable economy, more affordable housing, and greater investments in our communities. This team reflects the values of New York City and the future we are building together.”

Other members of Menin’s senior team include Jonathan Szott as senior deputy chief of staff, Bhav Tibrewal as chief advisor, and John Tritt as senior advisor for external affairs.

Council raises on hold

As Julie Menin begins her tenure as speaker, many are watching closely to see how she and Mayor Zohran Mamdani will work together, with Menin striking a pragmatic, process-focused tone at her first press conference and repeatedly emphasizing cooperation over conflict.

Menin told reporters she hopes to establish a productive, cooperative dynamic with the mayor, stressing that disagreements should not devolve into the public clashes that defined the Council’s relationship with former Mayor Eric Adams. “I don’t want to see the council engage in some of the things that happened in the last four years, which really stood in the way of progress,” she said, adding that when conflicts arise, they should be “based on substantive policy issues,” not political “tit-for-tat.”

On her hopes for Mamdani, she stressed broad agreement with the new mayor’s core priorities – affordability, expanding affordable housing, and enacting universal child care – but she also drew clear boundaries around where their agendas diverge or where the City Council lacks authority to act.

Asked about Mamdani’s pledge to freeze rents for the city’s stabilized tenants, she did not signal support or opposition to the policy itself, instead redirecting pressure to City Hall.

“It’s not up to the City Council — it’s up to the mayor, who appoints the Rent Guidelines Board members,” she said.

On transportation, Menin expressed support for improving bus service but stopped short of endorsing Mamdani’s proposal for free buses. “Of course we want buses that are faster. That goes without saying,” she said, noting that her district includes the M15, the city’s busiest bus route. But she said fare policy and funding decisions fall outside the Council’s purview. “In terms of the cost of it, again, that is a question for Albany,” she said, while reiterating Council support for the Fair Fares discount program.

Speaker Menin also weighed in on a proposed bill to increase salaries for local elected officials, saying any action should wait for a commission to review and make recommendations before the Council moves forward.

The measure, Introduction 1493, would give Council members their first raise since 2016, increasing salaries from $148,500 to $172,500. The proposed increase was based on cost of living, expanded job responsibilities, and comparable salaries for elected officials in other cities, such as Chicago. Although the bill was introduced last year, city charter rules prohibited the Council from passing pay raises during the lame-duck period between Election Day and the start of a new term on Jan. 1, leaving the new speaker to determine its legislative fate

She said on Wednesday that any changes must go through a commission. “That is the way that it has always been done, is through the commission, as opposed to members voting on a bill that raises it directly,” she said. “We’re going to be looking at doing something through the commission, so that’s what we’re going to focus on.”