Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mamdani expected to name transportation veteran Mike Flynn to lead department
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Dec 31, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Dec 31, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Zohran Mamdani is tapping Mike Flynn, an experienced city planner, to lead the Department of Transportation, according to two sources familiar with the decision.
The position of DOT commissioner is a crucial pick for soon-to-be Mayor Mamdani, whose marquee policy is not only to make the city’s buses free for all New Yorkers, but to make them faster. While the state-run MTA controls the operations of the city’s buses, it’s the city that leads the charge on building bus lane infrastructure and reducing traffic congestion.
Overall, the agency is tasked with shaping New Yorkers’ experience of public space and city streets.
The sources who confirmed Flynn’s appointment were not authorized to speak publicly. Flynn declined to comment on the appointment. A spokesperson for Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment.
Flynn has spent nearly a decade in several positions in the transportation department, working on sustainability practices and bicycle programs. In 2014, he joined TYLin, an engineering and consulting firm that works on infrastructure and transportation projects, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Flynn was appointed to Mamdani’s Transportation, Climate and Infrastructure transition committee in the weeks after the mayor-elect’s seismic victory in the November general election.
The current transportation commissioner is Ydanis Rodriguez, a political appointee of Mayor Eric Adams who had no prior experience within the DOT or managing public work projects.
Adams committed to building 150 miles of new bus lanes when he took office at the start of 2022, as was required by city law. Less than 30 have been added during his tenure, according to DOT data.
The Adams administration was roiled in scandal over decisions to cancel or claw back major road infrastructure projects, including bike lanes in South Williamsburg and a dedicated busway on Fordham Road in the Bronx.
Along with his bus proposal, Mamdani has also pledged to add to the city’s network of bike lanes. In August, he said he would restart several protected bike lane projects that Adams had either canceled or delayed.
Tagged
Politics
Zohran Mamdani
new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .