New York Note: Mamdani Appointments, Hochul Mamdani Alignment, Bottcher Candidacy

December 29, 2025

Mayor-Elect Mamdani Announces Key Appointments

Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani announced several new key appointees within his administration. Mamdani appointed Lillian Bonsignore to serve as the next commissioner of the Fire Department of New York. Bonsignore served several decades as an emergency medical technician and retired in 2022 as the Chief of the EMS division. When she assumes the role, she will become the second woman and the first openly-gay Fire Commissioner. Mamdani also announced that Sherif Soliman will serve as the next Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Soliman led the Mayor’s Office of Policy and Planning under Mayor Adams and served as the Commissioner of the Department of Finance under de Blasio. He has also previously served as Executive Director of the New York City Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform, and worked in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and, most recently, CUNY.

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Hochul Expresses Alignment with Mamdani

On 77 WABC’s ‘Cats Roundtable’ yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul expressed alignment between her and Mayor-elect Mamdani, particularly on universal childcare, emphasizing the benefit to employers by easing stress on working parents, framing it as both a family and economic issue. The Governor did not outline details of the program, but she may provide more clarity during her 2026 State of the State address on January 13th or in subsequent budget proposals.

Bottcher Announces State Senate Candidacy

City Council Member Erik Bottcher announced he is dropping out of the race for Congressional District 12 and will begin his campaign for New York State Senate District 47, currently held by Borough President-elect of Manhattan Brad Hoylman-Sigal, which is set to be filled in a special election in early 2026. If Bottcher were to win, this would trigger another special election for his City Council seat.

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