Mamdani to announce new City Hall budget director among other appointments.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is poised to make a series of significant appointments to his administration this week, with expectations that he will announce his choice for the pivotal role of City Hall budget chief. Dean Fuleihan, who is set to serve as Mamdani’s first deputy mayor, disclosed during a forum organized by the Citizens Budget Commission that further appointments are forthcoming, although he refrained from specifying which positions would be filled or the number of expected announcements.
Sources familiar with the transition indicate that Mamdani may select Sherif Soliman, a veteran of city government, to lead the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Soliman has held numerous prominent positions within past administrations, including serving as the Department of Finance commissioner under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. His recent role involved being the chief policy officer to current Mayor Eric Adams, a position he resigned from in the fall of 2023 to take on the role of chief financial officer for the City University of New York.
As of now, Mamdani has not yet finalized his selections for other crucial positions, including the schools chancellor and several deputy mayor roles. His most recent appointment occurred on November 19, when he retained Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner, marking a continuation of leadership stability in a critical department. This decision followed the prior selections of Fuleihan as first deputy mayor and Elle Bisgaard-Church as chief of staff.
Despite the absence of personnel announcements in the month since he was elected, Fuleihan assured attendees that there is no delay in Mamdani’s transition process. He emphasized that the team is not behind schedule, contrasting their progress with the transition of Adams, who made only two major appointments by this time in December 2021.
Mamdani, set to take office on January 1, faces an immediate challenge in preparing a preliminary budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal year that must be submitted by the end of January. The OMB director plays a crucial role in shaping this budget proposal, which begins negotiations with the City Council. The importance of the OMB director extends beyond budget formulation, encompassing significant authority over agency hiring processes and serving as the mayor’s chief negotiator with the City Council regarding the municipal budget.
As the Mamdani administration prepares for these essential appointments, anticipation builds regarding the strategic direction they may take in addressing New York City’s fiscal challenges.
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