Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani picks Bill de Blasio veteran for top deputy
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Nov 10, 2025
Modified Nov 10, 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 .
Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty Images
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Nov 10, 2025
Modified Nov 10, 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
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is selecting a city and government veteran of Bill de Blasio’s administration and his closest campaign adviser to fill out two of the most important roles on his executive team as he prepares to take over City Hall on Jan. 1.
Mamdani announced Monday he is tapping Dean Fuleihan as first deputy mayor and Elle Bisgaard-Church as chief of staff.
Fuleihan is highly respected in government circles for his experience, management skills and knowledge of city and state budgets. He previously served as first deputy mayor for de Blasio. The first deputy mayor is considered the second-in-command at City Hall.
Bisgaard-Church managed Mamdani’s primary campaign and is considered one of the mayor-elect’s closest confidants. At his press conference announcing her and Fuleihan’s appointments Monday, she pledged City Hall under Mamdani would be “open-minded, strategically oriented and pragmatically focused.”
Dean Fuleihan speaks at a podium alongside Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his chief of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, on Nov. 10, 2025.
Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
The news comes less than a week after Mamdani won the election and appointed his transition team, including four co-chairs with various government experience. At 34, the democratic socialist state assemblymember from Queens will be the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century and its first Asian and Muslim mayor.
“That is the kind of team that will help us shape and fill out our City Hall such that those first 100 days are ones where we are taking concrete and substantive actions to deliver on the cost of living crisis that is pushing so many New Yorkers out of the city,” he told Gothamist on Wednesday.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who ran in the Democratic primary and cross-endorsed Mamdani, had been jockeying for the first deputy role in a Mamdani administration, Gothamist previously reported. But Lander is now weighing a congressional run against Rep. Dan Goldman, who represents parts of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Other Mamdani appointments remain to be seen. He has said he would like to keep NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch in her role, but she has not publicly said whether she will stay on.
The mayor-elect said Monday he would consider keeping other appointees of Mayor Eric Adams if they’ve performed well in their jobs.
This is a developing story and has been updated.
Tagged
Politics
Zohran Mamdani
bill de blasio
elections
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
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC tow companies busted for ripping off drivers must give $67K in refunds, city says
Mayor Mamdani has expanded enforcement on towing scams, but the unlicensed towing industry remains largely unregulated.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 4:47 p.m. ET
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
DOC negligence factored in death at Rikers' Bellevue hospital outpost, jail officials say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Conductor on NYC subway that dragged man to death may have skipped safety check, source says
By
Stephen Nessen
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
By
Ryan Kost
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 .