New York City
The 2026 New York City Power 100
The city’s movers and shakers in the new Mamdani era.
City & State presents the 2026 New York City Power 100. Mike Groll, Office of the Governor; Kara McCurdy; New York City Council
The election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in 2025 was a political earthquake that few predicted. And his rise continues to reverberate in 2026, from the shakeup of the city’s political hierarchy to the leftward shift in policy priorities to the controversies over Islamophobia, antisemitism and racism.
In this new landscape, past stalwarts like Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo have been reduced to rubble. Mamdani allies – Elle Bisgaard-Church, Sam Levine and Ali Najmi among them – have been empowered to build a city that’s more affordable and less beholden to the old elite. Most top-level appointees of the last administration have departed, although a few have stayed on, most notably NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Other political figures have come out ahead as well, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and City Comptroller Mark Levine.
This year’s New York City Power 100 reflects the seismic changes that have rocked the political establishment over the past 12 months. This prestigious list, researched and written by City & State’s John Celock, identifies the most influential public officials, business executives, labor leaders, advocates and activists in the new New York City.
1. Zohran Mamdani
Despite being a little-known, backbench Assembly member, Zohran Mamdani mounted a savvy campaign for New York City mayor and vanquished the once-formidable former Gov. Andrew Cuomo twice last year – and he is quickly implementing his vision at City Hall. Mamdani teamed up with Gov. Kathy Hochul to significantly expand child care, in line with a key campaign pledge, although his proposed tax hikes on corporations and millionaires have not advanced. He has taken his charm offensive to the White House and capitalized on his newfound celebrity to support socialist allies. Yet he faces headwinds from New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin on the budget, complaints from Jewish leaders who accuse him of antisemitism and questions about how he’ll run the police department.
2. Kathy Hochul
Gov. Kathy Hochul is quickly reminding Mayor Zohran Mamdani that while mayors may run New York City, it’s only because governors let them. Hochul was quick to collaborate with Mamdani on expanding child care, a key campaign promise of the mayor’s that fits with many of Hochul’s priorities. She hasn’t granted Mamdani’s wish for tax hikes on corporations and millionaires, even in light of Mamdani’s threat of a 9.5% property tax hike, but she did propose a New York City pied-à-terre tax that the mayor supports. With Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado out of the Democratic gubernatorial race, Hochul now has turned her attention to November and retains the upper hand in the race.
3. Julie Menin
A skilled political operator with a wealth of New York City government experience, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin is showing that she will be a serious counterweight to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda. The moderate Democrat was quick to oppose Mamdani’s threat of raising property taxes by 9.5%, and she released a budget response dramatically different from the mayor’s, setting the stage for a bitter budget battle. Menin, who made history as the city’s first Jewish council speaker, quickly passed a watered-down version of legislation to establish limits on protests outside schools and houses of worship. She has also elevated allies to top leadership posts in the City Council and overhauled the legislative body’s senior staff.
4. Carl Heastie & Andrea Stewart-Cousins
With so much of New York City’s agenda dependent on Albany, the leaders of the state Legislature hold significant sway. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a powerhouse in the Bronx, identified affordability as a top issue when he endorsed Zohran Mamdani for mayor in September. At the same time he was quick to endorse two of Mamdani’s signature campaign proposals: universal child care and free buses. The state’s most powerful suburbanite, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins suggested Gov. Kathy Hochul might entertain tax hikes in response to federal policy changes, but the governor has only gotten behind a relatively limited pied-à-terre tax for New York City and resisted any other tax increases. Stewart-Cousins has also been focused on addressing rising utility rates while still tackling greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Donald Trump
You can take a New Yorker out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the New Yorker. President Donald Trump was raised in Queens and made his mark in Manhattan, but even though he’s now living in Washington, D.C., he just can’t turn away from his old hometown. A court blocked his attempt to defund the Gateway tunnel project unless his name is put on Penn Station, his plan to halt an offshore wind project has faltered in court and his attempts to halt congestion pricing are languishing. But even after trying to alter the outcome of last year’s election, Trump had a bromance with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling him “a nice guy” in his State of the Union address and hosting him at the White House twice before posting recently on social media that Mamdani is “destroying” the city with a proposed pied-à-terre tax.
6. Jessica Tisch
One of the few areas of agreement among the candidates in last year’s mayoral race was the importance of retaining New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Despite some policy differences, Tisch was kept on by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, helping him win over voters worried about his past criticisms of the NYPD. Tisch kicked off the year by unveiling a new Bronx command structure, new in-service training for officers, a technology overhaul and pending federal authority for drone mitigation. She has also presided over a decline in shootings and gun violence, along with some of the city’s lowest crime rates. Meanwhile, Mamdani is coming around to her view that the NYPD’s gang database is a useful tool, opining that it should be reformed, not abolished.
7. Dean Fuleihan
Dean Fuleihan is a technocrat’s technocrat, and his extensive background in government should serve him well in his second stint as New York City’s first deputy mayor. The de Blasio administration alum is now Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top deputy, running the day-to-day operations of city government for the youthful mayor. The appointment of Fuleihan, who was a top aide to then-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and is also a former city budget director, was welcomed by many, including Gov. Kathy Hochul. He recently expressed an openness to expanding metered parking to increase city revenues.
8. Letitia James
State Attorney General Letitia James keeps having run-ins with President Donald Trump, and New York’s chief lawyer and law enforcement officer is not backing down. James successfully sued the Trump administration to restore funding that the president withheld for the Gateway tunnel project. In early March, she ordered NYU Langone Health to reopen its Transgender Youth Health Program, arguing that the decision to shutter the program violated state law even though it was made to comply with a White House directive. Multiple attempts to bring a federal mortgage fraud case against her have failed, though Trump’s Department of Justice may take a yet another swing at indicting James, this time via federal prosecutors in Florida or Illinois.
9. Mark Levine
Mark Levine left behind the Manhattan borough presidency to become New York City comptroller, a post that’s often a stepping stone to a mayoral bid. In January, Levine issued a fiscal analysis showing the city faced a $12 billion budget deficit, and he proposed limiting City Hall’s ability to dip into savings to balance the budget. He is also embarking on a plan to use the city pension fund to fund a $3 billion affordable housing construction program, addressing an issue that has long been a key priority for him. And he’s scrutinizing outdated government processes and audit operations at the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
10. Chuck Schumer & Hakeem Jeffries
Capitol Hill’s most powerful Democrats are a pair of Brooklynites, and they’re under immense pressure to retake Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is navigating the land mines of New York politics as he seeks to claim the speaker’s gavel. Several New York City incumbents are facing primary challenges from the left, and the open seat of retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez is a face-off between an establishment favorite and a socialist ally of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Jeffries has made headway with redistricting efforts nationally, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked his plan to gerrymander Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ largely Staten Island seat. Yet some Democratic congressional candidates, including Queens Assembly Member Claire Valdez, have questioned Jeffries’ continued leadership. Indeed, Jeffries and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are both under attack by progressives who feel they’ve been ineffective in countering President Donald Trump. Schumer has tried to ratchet up his pressure on the president, including in shutdown fights over the past year, albeit with mixed results. This year’s Senate map is expanding for Democrats, but Republicans are still slightly favored. He’s also bracing for a potential primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2028.
11. Janno Lieber
Janno Lieber is quick to defend the Metropolitan Transportation Authority against anyone who wants to hinder efforts to improve the region’s sprawling mass transit system. Lieber sued the Trump administration for withholding funding for the expansion of the Second Avenue subway. He has been lukewarm on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan for free buses, saying that he wants to focus on the MTA’s Fair Fares program and overall system affordability. Lieber is also tackling fare evasion and touting the success of congestion pricing.
12. Elle Bisgaard-Church
Five years after having a job interview over pancakes with a little-known newly elected Assembly member named Zohran Mamdani, Elle Bisgaard-Church steered a campaign that stunned America and made her boss New York City’s 112th mayor. Now Bisgaard-Church, largely unknown outside of Democratic Socialists of America circles a year ago, is Mamdani’s powerful chief of staff in City Hall, serving as his gatekeeper while helping him run the nation’s largest city. After managing Mamdani’s Democratic primary campaign, Bisgaard-Church spent the general election planning out Mamdani’s eventual administration.
13. Helen Arteaga, Leila Bozorg, Renita Francois, Julia Kerson & Julie Su
As New York City’s deputy mayor for operations, Julia Kerson has a long to-do list: filling potholes, taking out the trash, clearing snow, planning for emergencies, reimaging the city’s streets and figuring out how to keep the triple cantilever on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway from collapsing. Kerson was previously a top infrastructure adviser to Gov. Kathy Hochul and was a senior adviser to the deputy mayor for operations in the de Blasio administration.
Veteran New York City housing policy official Leila Bozorg is now deputy mayor for housing and planning. As executive director for housing in the Adams administration, she was instrumental in the crafting of the City of Yes zoning initiatives and new housing provisions in the city charter. Bozorg has said the Mamdani administration is committed to a four-year rent freeze and provisions to boost construction.
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga previously led NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, a 545-bed Queens public hospital. She now has the entire NYC Health + Hospitals system in her portfolio, as well as the departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Social Services, Aging and Veterans’ Services and the Administration for Children’s Services.
Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su comes to her role overseeing the city’s economic and labor agencies after an almost two-year stint as acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor in the Biden administration. She has served as deputy U.S. labor secretary and secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. The California transplant, who officially started in March, is helping to reshape the city’s Economic Development Corp. to prioritize economic justice – but the administration has yet to hire a leader for the EDC.
Renita Francois is starting a new era in New York City public safety as the city’s deputy mayor for community safety, a newly created post overseeing the newly created Mayor’s Office of Community Safety. The office is a scaled-back version of the Department of Community Safety that Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposed during his campaign. Francois was executive director of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety in the de Blasio administration.
14. Henry Garrido
District Council 37’s Henry Garrido got off to a strong start with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, ranking him second behind then-City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams in the Democratic primary, even though former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was polling far ahead of the pack. Garrido’s working relationship with the mayor will be tested when collective bargaining begins for DC 37, New York City’s largest public sector union. In Albany, Garrido is calling for changes to Tier 6 in the state pension fund. Last year, Garrido welcomed a state Court of Appeals ruling that blocked an Adams administration proposal to switch retirees on to Medicare Advantage.
15. Sherif Soliman
An expert steeped in the intricacies of New York City finance, Sherif Soliman is now in charge of keeping the city’s $120 billion-plus budget balanced while generating the funding for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s sweeping agenda amid a structural deficit and political resistance to broad tax hikes in an election year. Soliman stepped into the budget director role in January following a two-year stint as senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer of the City University of New York. He previously served as the city’s Finance Department commissioner and as its chief policy and delivery officer.
16. Kamar Samuels
A onetime elementary school teacher in the Bronx, Kamar Samuels now leads the nation’s largest public school system. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Samuels to the top spot at Tweed Courthouse after Samuels led districts in Brooklyn and Manhattan as superintendent. He took the reins as the agency is preparing to expand universal pre-K to 2-year-olds, part of Mamdani’s centerpiece child care agenda. Samuels has cautioned that it will be difficult to comply with a new state law limiting class sizes as he pushes for a four-year extension of mayoral control of schools in Albany.
17. Jumaane Williams
A year after he almost became New York City’s acting mayor and months after an easy reelection campaign, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is still challenging the powerful and defending the weak. He says New Yorkers should be angry at Gov. Kathy Hochul, who defeated him in past gubernatorial and lieutenant governor primaries, for not considering a tax on millionaires to close New York City’s budget deficit. The former New York City Council member, whose legislation supporting street vendors passed last year, says he wants to work with Mayor Zohran Mamdani on shared priorities.
18. Kathryn Garcia
Kathryn Garcia, the former state operations director, is a widely respected public administrator. She succeeded Rick Cotton at the helm of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, just as the bistate agency embarked on an ambitious new capital plan. Garcia’s to-do list includes completing John F. Kennedy International Airport upgrades and building a new Midtown bus terminal. Since taking over in February, she has launched enhanced PATH service, led the agency through two major winter storms and established the JFK Redevelopment Opportunity Scholarship Program while also making preparations for the World Cup.
19. Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Dan Goldman, Nicole Malliotakis, Greg Meeks, Grace Meng, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Ritchie Torres
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s profile is only growing, with national tours and speculation about running for president or the U.S. Senate in 2028. At a high-profile trip to the annual Munich Security Conference, the progressive leader outlined her views on foreign policy.
Rep. Greg Meeks is a powerhouse in New York City – where he was pivotal in elevating Council Member Julie Menin to the speakership – and in Washington, D.C. The powerful Queens Democratic Party leader is also the ranking minority member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, where he’s hoping to reclaim the gavel.
A northern Manhattan political power broker, mentor to fellow Latino politicians and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Adriano Espaillat also serves on the powerful Appropriations Committee, where he is in line to chair a subcommittee – part of Congress’ “College of Cardinals” – if Democrats gain control.
Rep. Yvette Clarke is currently chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, giving her national exposure as she leads its policy and political priorities. She recently teamed up with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler on legislation that would exempt health care workers from exorbitant new immigration fees.
Rep. Grace Meng chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus this term. She has focused on supporting small businesses, expanding access to health care and increasing transit connections.
Rep. Ritchie Torres has become one of the leading advocates for Israel in Congress. During a recent visit to Israel, he reiterated his support for the country despite criticisms against him from progressives. Torres is continuing his long-standing fight for affordable housing in the city.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis is getting by with a little help from her friends at the U.S. Supreme Court. New York City’s only Republican member of Congress saw the nation’s highest court block a Democratic attempt to redraw her district, which would have made her more vulnerable.
Rep. Dan Goldman is in the fight of his political life this primary season, facing off against former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander in his Brooklyn-Manhattan district, after a gerrymandering gambit failed. The former Trump impeachment investigator has been critical of the White House’s aggressive immigration policies.
20. Sam Levine
A nationally known consumer protection advocate, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine has sprinted out of the gate as the Mamdani’s administration’s most proactive commissioner. In less than 100 days, Levine has cracked down on junk fees, protected delivery workers’ rights, introduced an audit tool to ensure workers get their time off, increased debt collection protections and targeted predatory lending apps. Levine, the director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection under former Chair Lina Khan, a Mamdani transition co-chair, is redefining the role of a city consumer protection chief.
21. Rich Maroko
With one upgraded and two new casinos coming soon to New York City, it’s a good time to be leading the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council. Rich Maroko has long pushed for casino expansion in the city, seeing full licenses issued last year. The union leader, who rallied around Zohran Mamdani after his Democratic mayoral primary win, is seeking a contract for 30,000 New York City hotel workers prior to the World Cup this summer, but is also preparing for a possible strike in the middle of the soccer tournament. Maroko is also a board member of New Jersey Transit.
22. Manny Pastreich
32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich notched a victory in January when the New York City Council overrode a veto of the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, a measure setting wage, benefit and paid time off standards for private security officers and named after security guard Aland Etienne, who was killed in the NFL office building shooting last year. Pastreich led 32BJ SEIU in pushing for a 2024 Albany housing package and in backing the City of Yes rezoning overhaul. He also secured expanded benefits and time off for airport workers and joined the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council in endorsing Zohran Mamdani for mayor soon after he won the Democratic primary.
23. Al Sharpton
The Rev. Al Sharpton is a preeminent leader of the Black community in New York City and nationally. Sharpton offered support for Zohran Mamdani on the campaign trail, applauding the mayoral candidate for attending National Action Network events while calling on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to drop his independent mayoral campaign and describing Cuomo’s attacks on Mamdani “Islamophobia.” Mamdani spent his first Martin Luther King Jr. Day as mayor with Sharpton at the National Action Network’s Harlem headquarters. Sharpton recently hosted a group of potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates.
24. Michael Mulgrew
Recently reelected to his sixth term leading New York City’s teachers union, Michael Mulgrew shows no signs of slowing down. Mulgrew praised Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s leadership during a January snowstorm and City Hall’s decision to hold a remote school day. Among Mulgrew’s top priorities is addressing health care for his members and reforming Tier 6 of the state pension system, a goal of many labor unions this session. He recently co-hosted a 15,000-person Albany rally with other public employee unions on the pension issue.
25. Michael Gianaris, Liz Krueger, Jamaal Bailey & Julia Salazar
New York City’s most powerful state senator, Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, is not seeking reelection after a remarkable Albany career. The western Queens Democrat played a key role in establishing the Democratic majority in the state Senate, ending decades of Republican dominance in the chamber, and he has served as a conduit between the party’s establishment and a rising democratic socialist movement.
The most senior member of the Socialists in Office, state Sen. Julia Salazar is front and center in helping guide Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ambitious agenda through the chamber. The Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee chair has made criminal justice reform a top priority, releasing a recent report on the state prison system and advancing a package of reforms through her chamber. The Brooklynite recently teamed up with state Sen. Zellnor Myrie on a push for a state $30 per hour minimum wage.
State Sen. Jamaal Bailey led the Bronx Democrats in backing Mamdani after initially endorsing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. Bailey, who helped defeat the Bronx’s only GOP elected official last year, is a potential contender to succeed state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins whenever she retires. As chair of the Senate Insurance Committee, he has also been scrutinizing the governor’s auto insurance reform proposal.
State Senate Finance Committee Chair Liz Krueger combines her years of experience and a reformer’s mindset in negotiating the state’s annual budget. Her chamber’s one-house budget proposal would authorize Mayor Zohran Mamdani to raise taxes despite Gov. Kathy Hochul’s opposition. The Manhattan lawmaker is also pushing for a data center moratorium in the state, citing the need for increased energy for the centers. Krueger was recently hospitalized after a mild stroke.
26. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez
It is an annual budget ritual in Albany for higher education leaders to ask lawmakers for more money than the governor allocated, and for CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, this year was no different. The CUNY leader has asked lawmakers for additional funding to cover wage increases, student mental health, artificial intelligence research and the capital budget. Matos Rodríguez has indicated that his 26-college system is continuing to tailor teacher education in ways to improve reading outcomes in K-12 public schools and is driving initiatives to encourage the hiring of CUNY graduates.
27. Jerry Nadler & Nydia Velázquez
Rep. Jerry Nadler has secured his place in history by managing only the fourth presidential impeachment trial ever in 2021 against President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Nadler, a godfather of Manhattan politics for decades, is retiring this year following a career that led him from the Assembly to Congress to the House Judiciary Committee chair. Nadler, who won a 2022 clash against fellow incumbent Carolyn Maloney after redistricting extended his district to the Upper East Side, is seeking to maintain his Upper West Side neighborhood’s clout by electing Assembly Member Micah Lasher as his successor.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez is not going quietly into the night as she steps aside after over three decades in Congress. She has endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso as her successor over Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who is backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America in a district that covers several DSA bastions. The Brooklyn-Queens lawmaker also backed Brian Romero for a Queens Assembly seat against then-candidate Aber Kawas, who has since switched to running for an open state Senate seat.
28. Gary LaBarbera
Gary LaBarbera is worried about New York City’s shrinking middle class and the powerful labor leader is prodding city and state officials to take action to reverse that trend. LaBarbera is opposing a proposed federal law pushed by the business and construction industries to exempt federal projects from the state’s Scaffold Law, saying it is an attack on states’ rights and the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. His union recently launched a new mental health program to address an increase in suicides among construction workers.
29. Yvonne Armstrong
Last year, Yvonne Armstrong stunned New York’s labor community by defeating veteran union leader George Gresham to take the helm of 1199SEIU, the powerful health care workers union. Armstrong, who had previously been a senior executive vice president at 1199SEIU, conducted a listening tour across the union’s region during her first 100 days and has hit the ground running in Albany. She kicked off the legislative session this year with a rally in the state Capitol, highlighting federal health care cuts and expressing her disappointment in Gov. Kathy Hochul for not focusing more on health in her State of the State address.
30. Alvin Bragg, Darcel Clark, Eric Gonzalez, Melinda Katz & Michael McMahon
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is taking on some of the most attention-grabbing criminal cases in the country. The only prosecutor to ever convict a president, Bragg is now focused on a number of high-profile cases, including the state murder case against Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO. Bragg has launched an investigation into allegations that former Rep. Eric Swalwell of California sexually assaulted a former aide at a Manhattan hotel. Swalwell, who ended his California gubernatorial bid and resigned from Congress, has denied this and other similar allegations against him.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark has been at the forefront of efforts to adjust the state’s discovery reforms, which prosecutors got into last year’s state budget. She says the tweaks will help her tackle crime in the Bronx and improve staff recruitment and retention. She also is seeking more city funding to implement community-based crime solutions mirroring programs in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
A former member of Congress, Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon has been putting his legislative skills to work. During his tenure as president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, McMahon also led advocacy in Albany for reforming the state’s discovery reforms. McMahon last year led Staten Island to one of its safest years on record and helped reduce opioid overdose deaths by 49% in 2024.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez also led his borough to its safest year on record last year, with record lows in homicides and shootings. The state’s first Latino district attorney continues to innovate with a first-in-the-nation Virtual Currency Unit, which is cracking down on cryptocurrency fraud. He is calling for the state to overhaul grand jury practices, including a requirement for company executives to testify in person to verify digital evidence.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz is targeting ghost guns and 3D-printed firearms while also solving cold cases and combating domestic violence. She is requesting $12.5 million more than Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s budget proposed for her office, citing the need to hire more interpreters and staff to address human trafficking and crime victim advocacy. The former City Council Land Use Committee chair has also made deed theft and squatters a priority.
31. Morris Katz
Fresh off helping New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stun the political establishment, Morris Katz is looking to reshape the Democratic Party nationally. Katz is focusing much of his attention on bolstering progressive candidates in this year’s midterm elections, including Mamdani-backed congressional candidate Claire Valdez. He has also garnered attention for advising Graham Platner, a populist Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine. And Katz is in demand even across the pond, venturing to the United Kingdom to provide informal advice to young Green Party politicians.
32. Steve Cohen, Robert DeSalvio, Michelle Stoddart & Soo Kim
New York City has long offered almost every type of entertainment, and soon it will add full-fledged casinos to the mix. The state recently awarded the three full downstate casino licenses: one to the existing Resorts World New York City casino in Queens, and the other two to Metropolitan Park in Queens and Bally’s Corp. in the Bronx. Casino leaders Steve Cohen, Robert DeSalvio and Soo Kim steered their respective bids through a number of steps and against a large initial field of competitors seeking to establish a downstate casino. DeSalvio’s Resorts World bid was viewed as an early front-runner due to its existing casino, and the company had pledged a large community benefits agreement as part of its plan. Michelle Stoddart, the senior vice president of community development and public affairs for Resorts World, established deep roots in Queens, helping to pave the way for upgrading to a full casino. Bally’s, initially seen as a dark horse contender, also pledged a comprehensive community plan under Kim. Cohen’s Metropolitan Park plan, meanwhile, had to overcome political hurdles, including opposition from local state Sen. Jessica Ramos that almost killed the state land use legislation needed for the casino bid to advance. Cohen, who hired 14 lobbying firms, started his community benefits work early, including a $116 million donation through his foundation to LaGuardia Community College.
33. Timothy Cawley
Helming New York City’s primary energy company, Timothy Cawley wields power while occasionally serving as a lightning rod for critics. Following lengthy discussions with state regulators, Con Edison secured approval for a rate hike earlier this year amid an ongoing energy affordability debate. Cawley had his defenders, though, with state Republican lawmakers making the case that Con Edison needed the rate hike due to green energy policies – including a transition to electric buildings – that state Democrats had imposed. The company serves more than 10 million people in New York City and Westchester County.
34. Lillian Bonsignore, Christina Farrell, Mike Flynn, Dina Levy, Alister Martin, Stanley Richards, Sideya Sherman & Ahmed Tigani
New York City Transportation Department Commissioner Mike Flynn hit the ground running after his inauguration day appointment. He pledged to complete the McGuinness Boulevard redesign, and his department has restarted stalled projects, including the addition of Madison Avenue bus lanes, activated more red light cameras and filled over 100,000 potholes.
A public health leader and emergency room physician, Dr. Alister Martin is now commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Martin was CEO of A Healthier Democracy, a Vermont gubernatorial health adviser and a White House fellow in then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ office.
Most recently the city’s chief equity officer and commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice, Sideya Sherman is the new director of the Department of City Planning and chair of the influential City Planning Commission.
An expert in New York housing policy, Dina Levy left her role as a senior vice president with the state’s housing agency to become commissioner of the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The former tenant organizer is tasked with ensuring quality, affordable housing and strengthening the diversity and resilience of local neighborhoods.
A city government veteran with experience across multiple agencies and the City Council, Ahmed Tigani’s resume reads like a directory of the New York City development ecosystem. The new city buildings commissioner, Tigani was previously acting commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
The first formerly incarcerated individual to lead the New York City Department of Correction, Stanley Richards has announced a “People First” agenda focused on improving conditions for incarcerated people and correction officers. Richards will be interacting with a new federal remediation manager for Rikers Island, which the commissioner wants to shutter.
The first former emergency medical technician to become New York City’s fire commissioner, Lillian Bonsignore is fighting for EMT salary increases, arguing that low pay is hurting recruitment and retention.
Call it baptism by blizzard. Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell faced a historic snowfall weeks after taking office. But it was more like another day at the office for Farrell, who has spent decades at the city’s Emergency Management office.
35. Ali Najmi
Queens attorney Ali Najmi is the new chair of the New York City Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, which vets judicial candidates, a role in which may be able to advance Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s vision of a more diverse judiciary. Najmi is also the co-founder of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, where his longtime ally Mamdani got his political start. Najmi’s election law client list includes Assembly Member Claire Valdez’s congressional campaign, Assembly Member Grace Lee’s state Senate campaign and Raj Goyle’s bid for state comptroller.
36. Steven Banks & Ramzi Kassem
A former attorney-in-chief for The Legal Aid Society and New York City social services commissioner, Steven Banks is now the city’s 83rd corporation counsel. Banks, a longtime advocate for homeless people, assured City Council members during his confirmation hearing that he would serve the entire city and engage with the legislative branch on pending bills. Banks has cited Law Department staffing issues as a top concern.
While Banks is the city’s attorney, Ramzi Kassem is Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s chief attorney. The chief counsel is a veteran of the Biden White House, where he was a senior policy adviser working on issues like the immigration court backlog and cybersecurity. As a CUNY law professor, Kassem founded CLEAR, a legal clinic that focuses on law enforcement accountability and issues within the Muslim community. Kassem has represented Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist the Trump administration has tried to deport.
37. Murad Awawdeh
With federal immigration enforcement at an unprecedented intensity, Murad Awawdeh has his hands full putting out one fire after another. The leader of the New York Immigration Coalition – a network of over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups – is contending with aggressive actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He has pushed for increased funding for immigration legal services and is a backer of the New York for All Act, which would establish clear limits for state and local cooperation with federal immigration agents. He’s also an ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Editor’s note: Murad Awawdeh is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
38. James Whelan & Jed Walentas
James Whelan and Jed Walentas are defending New York City’s real estate industry as the Mamdani administration advocates for corporate and property tax hikes and freezing rents – and as Gov. Kathy Hochul pushes a pied-à-terre tax. Whelan has touted recent successes on behalf of the 14,000-member Real Estate Board of New York that he leads, including the passage of the City of Yes zoning overhaul and the state Affordable Housing Retention Act, but he argues that New York’s tax structure does not favor commercial real estate. Whelan and Mamdani have found some common ground on zoning and staffing issues. While Mamdani did not attend the annual REBNY gala, Gov. Kathy Hochul attended and laid out a pro-construction agenda. Walentas, the CEO of the real estate developer Two Trees, also speaks for the real estate sector as REBNY’s chair. During last year’s mayoral campaign, Walentas held meetings with Mamdani, who favors tenants over landlords and developers. Walentas’ firm has seen steady leasing at its Domino Sugar Refinery development, particularly to artificial intelligence and fintech firms, and was responsible for half of all office leases in Brooklyn last year.
39. Suri Kasirer
The founder and leader of her eponymous lobbying shop, Suri Kasirer has built it into New York City’s No. 1 lobbying firm by revenue from clients. Her firm’s portfolio includes dozens of nonprofit organizations covering the arts, housing, social services, workforce development and education, for which the Kasirer team secured nearly $100 million in expense and capital funding from the city and state in the previous fiscal year. The firm also delivered victories in a number of recent land use decisions, including guiding The Public Theater through the approval process for the Delacorte Theater renovation in Central Park and navigating the 5 Times Square office-to-residential conversion.
40. Faiza Ali, Ana María Archila, Afua Atta-Mensah, Jahmila Edwards, Emmy Liss, Cea Weaver & Tascha Van Auken
Jahmila Edwards was one of Zohran Mamdani’s first big administration hires. The former associate director of District Council 37 is now Mamdani’s director of intergovernmental relations, tasked with advancing the new mayor’s ambitious Albany agenda.
As the New York Working Families Party co-director, Ana María Archila backed Mamdani during the mayoral primary. The Israel critic is now engaging with foreign dignitaries and dealing with diplomatic matters as the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs commissioner.
The state’s most influential tenant advocate, Cea Weaver is now the director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. The mayor has stood by Weaver, a close ally and longtime housing policy adviser, after reports about her controversial past social media posts.
As executive director of the Office for Child Care and Early Childhood Education, Emmy Liss is tasked with enacting Mamdani’s ambitious campaign goal of offering universal child care. The longtime child care policy expert got a boost when Gov. Kathy Hochul committed state funding to starting the program.
Mamdani’s people-powered campaign used a volunteer army to knock on over 3 million doors and make over 4.5 million calls to New Yorkers, and Tascha Van Auken was the commanding general. Van Auken is now channeling that energy into generating input from constituents as the commissioner of the newly created Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement.
Faiza Ali is the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs. She joined the Mamdani administration after over a decade as a City Council community engagement staffer, where she also served as first deputy chief of staff. She also co-founded the Muslim Democratic Club of New York.
A longtime advocate, Afua Atta-Mensah is the city’s new chief equity officer and commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice. The former adviser to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign was charged with creating the Mamdani administration’s Preliminary Racial Equity Plan in the administration’s first 100 days. The news that City Hall removed references to diversity, equity and inclusion in the report to avoid federal legal challenges sparked a backlash.
41. Harry Giannoulis
Harry Giannoulis has led the growth of powerhouse political consulting and lobbying firm The Parkside Group and engineered its impact on the balance of power in Albany. As the lead strategist for the New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, Giannoulis was pivotal in the Democrats’ reversing the Republican stranglehold on the state Senate and then further expanding the Democratic majority. Giannoulis is a former commissioner of the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission and served as state ombudsman under then-Gov. Mario Cuomo.
42. Renee Campion, Michael Garner & Mitchell Katz
An experienced leader of public health agencies, Mitchell Katz was among a few high-level appointees held over from the Adams administration to the Mamdani administration. Katz led NYC Health + Hospitals through the COVID-19 pandemic, crafted the system’s response to the asylum-seeker crisis, launched a program to get patients into permanent housing and started NYC Care to provide health care to uninsured New Yorkers.
A veteran in the New York City Office of Labor Relations, Renee Campion returns as commissioner of the agency in the Mamdani administration. Prior to taking the top spot, Campion served as its first deputy commissioner, associate commissioner and assistant commissioner. Campion has an influential role leading labor contraction negotiations, while also overseeing the city’s health insurance plan and employee assistance program.
As New York City’s chief business diversity officer in the Adams administration, Michael Garner presided over a rise in city contracting going to minority- and women-owned business enterprises, or MWBEs. That record earned him the chance to stay in his job in the Mamdani administration. In December, the city announced it had awarded $6.9 billion in MWBE contracts in fiscal year 2025. Garner also kept the city on pace to surpass the Adams administration’s goal of $25 billion in MWBE contracts by the end of fiscal year 2026.
43. Jasmine Gripper
Jasmine Gripper has guided the New York Working Families Party to a new pinnacle of success. The progressive third party’s rank-the-slate strategy last year paved the way for Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory and eventual general election win, while likely ending the chances that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Mayor Eric Adams are elected again. The WFP also saw the elections of party-backed candidates Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs, Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan. Gripper’s previous WFP co-director, Ana María Archila, resigned to join the Mamdani administration.
44. Jon Silvan
Jon Silvan has built the Democratic communications, campaign and polling powerhouse Global Strategy Group into a mainstay in New York and beyond. The firm helped Vanderbilt University generate support to expand into New York City and played a communications role in supporting the Gateway rail tunnel project. The firm’s client list includes Google, Netflix, MGM Resorts, National Grid and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Last year, it supported the campaigns of New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, raising hopes of a “blue wave” in this year’s midterm elections.
45. Shaun Abreu, Eric Dinowitz, Linda Lee, Kevin Riley & Nantasha Williams
As the new chair of the influential New York City Council Finance Committee, Council Member Linda Lee is working closely with Speaker Julie Menin on crafting and negotiating the city budget and closing a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. The first Asian American individual to lead the Finance Committee, Lee also co-chairs the Queens delegation. Previously, as chair of the City Council Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction Committee, Lee produced a mental health roadmap for the city.
Recently elevated to chair of the Land Use Committee, Bronx Council Member Kevin Riley is no stranger to development issues. Riley previously chaired the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee, where he led the panel in approving a number of key rezoning decisions, including in Long Island City, Jamaica, midtown Manhattan, Harlem and Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue.
Council Member Nantasha Williams is the new deputy speaker of the City Council and chair of the Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Relations Committee. The Queens politician previously chaired the Civil and Human Rights Committee and spearheaded the passage of the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, which will deliver almost 12,000 new homes and millions of dollars in neighborhood investment. As cultural affairs committee chair, Williams also gets a ticket to the swanky Met Gala.
Council Member Shaun Abreu also serves in leadership as the new majority leader of the City Council and chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Abreu, who previously led the Sanitation Committee, supports a “people-first” transportation policy and wants roads designed for all forms of transportation and accountability for the implementation of the NYC Streets Plan.
Council Member Eric Dinowitz has been rewarded for his early support of Council Speaker Julie Menin’s leadership bid. The former teacher now chairs the Education Committee, a step up from his former Higher Education Committee post. A vocal foe of antisemitism, Dinowitz chairs the Jewish Caucus and saw his educational institutions buffer zone bill pass this year, only to be vetoed.
46. Gustavo Gordillo & Grace Mausser
Gustavo Gordillo and Grace Mausser pulled off the political upset of the century last year when they led the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in electing Zohran Mamdani, then a little-known Assembly member from western Queens, as the 112th mayor of New York City. The co-chairs of NYC-DSA – the largest DSA chapter with over 14,000 members – have seen remarkable growth and rising political influence as the DSA has enjoyed a slew of electoral victories across the city, primarily in the New York City Council and the state Legislature, and had an impact on the policy front.
47. Steve Fulop
Steve Fulop changed the face of the Jersey City mayoralty in his three terms in that job, and now he’s filling the big shoes of Kathryn Wylde at the Partnership for New York City, a coalition of major businesses in the city. Fulop, a Marine veteran, has taken a more aggressive public stance for the pro-business group, and quickly came out swinging against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s corporate and property tax hike proposals. Fulop has vowed to turn the Partnership into the city’s “premier centrist advocacy group” within four years, while honing in on a more concentrated set of core issues.
48. Bruce Beal & Jeff Blau
Bruce Beal and Jeff Blau have been driving Related Companies’ growth across the city and state. Under Blau’s leadership, the firm has overseen the development of 70 Hudson Yards, the new U.S. headquarters for Deloitte; a plan to develop the western part of the rail yard with up to 4,000 new units of affordable housing; and the development of Willets Point in Queens, which will include 2,500 units of affordable housing along with New York City’s first dedicated soccer stadium. Last year, Blau launched Related Digital, which is a vertically integrated data center development and investing platform with a $45 billion development pipeline of more than 6 gigawatts of near-term power nationally. Beal, the firm’s president, has been guiding a number of projects, including the historic redevelopment of the New York City Housing Authority’s Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses and expanding Related into Jersey City with the development of Harborside 4. He also led the vertical integration of Related into the manufacturing and supply chain sectors with New Hudson Facades, the primary curtain wall suppliers for the JPMorgan Chase & Co. headquarters.
49. Neal Kwatra
Neal Kwatra leads Metropolitan Public Strategies, a public affairs and strategic communications firm advising major advocacy coalitions, nonprofits, labor unions and industry groups navigating the state’s political landscape. He is known in Albany and New York City for building large-scale campaigns that combine policy strategy, media, political organizing, coalition management and grassroots mobilization. Kwatra previously served as the first political director of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and as chief of staff in the state Attorney General’s Office, shaping major debates across housing, workers’ rights and climate and energy policy.
50. Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn & Keith Wright
A former Assembly Housing Committee chair turned government relations consultant, Keith Wright leads the Manhattan Democrats. He is the founder of Wright Strategies and also is affiliated with Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. His Manhattan Democrats originally endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor, but pivoted to Mayor Zohran Mamdani shortly after Mamdani’s stunning primary win. Keith Wright’s son, Jordan Wright, is now an Assembly member representing Harlem.
Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn was quick to endorse Mamdani after his primary victory. She has been focused on bolstering the Brooklyn Democratic Party and increasing judicial diversity in the borough. As the Assembly majority whip, she has focused on passing maternal health legislation and supporting minority- and women-owned businesses. She made headlines for temporarily pulling her endorsement of Gov. Kathy Hochul when former Council Speaker Adrienne Adams was named as Hochul’s running mate. She’s also contending with reports that close political allies – including her husband – are being probed in a bribery case involving a Brooklyn nonprofit.
51. Vito Fossella, Vanessa Gibson, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Antonio Reynoso & Donovan Richards
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has been busy in his borough. He launched an immigrant welcome center at Borough Hall, created a small-business grant program and a climate policy group and is developing a Global Tech and Innovation Center. He also helped to keep JetBlue in Queens and has been focused on the redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Coming off a competitive reelection campaign with a convincing Democratic primary victory, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson is embarking on an ambitious second-term agenda. Gibson has advanced a plan to transform the long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory into a mixed-use redevelopment, part of her goal to make the Bronx a tourist destination. In her first term, she established the Bronx’ first birthing center and allocated over $85 million for education.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso wants to trade Borough Hall for the U.S. Capitol. Reynoso is locked in a competitive Democratic primary to succeed Rep. Nydia Velázquez in a Brooklyn-Queens district. Reynoso has pursued a groundbreaking agenda as borough president, issuing the borough’s first comprehensive plan, focusing on maternal health and appointing Brooklyn’s first arts ambassador.
Long known as the state senator representing everything “from the gay bars to Zabar’s,” Brad Hoylman-Sigal needs a new catchphrase as Manhattan borough president. The out gay politician has re-raised the Pride flag at Stonewall National Monument after the Trump administration took it down, and he was behind a new “Hello, gorgeous” sign welcoming drivers into Manhattan. He said he will use his entire discretionary capital budget on arts and cultural projects.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella won’t let anyone forget his borough. Fossella was quick to point out unplowed streets following a winter blizzard and established the first outer borough city emergency management office in Staten Island. He secured funding to maintain the island’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk, led a bipartisan coalition of elected officials in a court case to end noncitizen voting, and conceived of and funded Staten Island’s first full-scale play area for children of all developmental abilities.
52. Tiffany Cabán & Sandy Nurse
One of the early Democratic Socialists of America candidates to gain traction in New York City, Queens Council Member Tiffany Cabán is gaining influence in the City Council. She is the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and, this year, became chair of the Mental Health and Substance Use Committee. She wants more “cohesion” between the City Council progressives and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, particularly in light of the city’s fiscal challenges. Brooklyn Council Member Sandy Nurse also co-chairs the Progressive Caucus, where she’s continuing her fight for progressive values in city government. Nurse is behind the effort to open more public bathrooms, an issue Mamdani embraced early in his administration. This year, Nurse became chair of the Civil and Human Rights Committee, after previously chairing the Criminal Justice Committee and the Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Committee.
53. Eduardo Castell & Roberto Ramirez
A former executive deputy comptroller of New York City, Eduardo Castell is now the managing partner of the MirRam Group. An accomplished political strategist, Castell was the lead political consultant for state Attorney General Letitia James’ 2018 campaign, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s 2017 campaign and former New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson’s 2001 campaign. He worked on the successful casino bid for Metropolitan Park in Queens. The first Puerto Rican chair of a county committee in New York City history, Robert Ramirez co-founded the MirRam Group, the first Latino-owned lobbying and consulting firm in New York. Ramirez is a former member of the Assembly, where he chaired the chamber’s Social Services Committee. He is a former president of the Puerto Rican Bar Association and former chair of the Bronx County Democratic Committee, where focused on efforts to diversify the judiciary. Firm co-founder Luis A. Miranda Jr. recently left the firm to focus on producing documentaries and Broadway shows with his son, the famed songwriter and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda.
54. Brian W. Simon & Julissa Ferreras-Copeland
Brian W. Simon has established Hollis Public Affairs as a government relations powerhouse, vaulting it into the top five of New York City firms by lobbying revenue. Earlier this year, Simon announced the creation of a new vertical, a strategic communications practice that will grow out the firm’s offerings to its clients. Longtime journalist Zach Haberman is leading the new group. Simon has also benefited from the experience and expertise of Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, a former chair of the New York City Council Finance Committee who joined the firm in 2021. Hollis clients include JetBlue, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Meta, YWCA of Brooklyn, KPMG, Green-Wood Cemetery, AECOM, Louis Armstrong House Museum, JFK Millennium Partners and Microsoft.
55. John Albert, Emily Giske, Teresa Gonzalez, Mike Keogh, Prisca Salazar-Rodriguez & Juanita Scarlett
As a managing partner at Bolton-St. Johns – the No. 2 lobbying firm in the city and the state – Emily Giske positions clients to achieve their policy, budgetary and regulatory objectives. Giske was a lead lobbyist in passing same-sex marriage in New York and is a vice chair of the state Democratic Party and a Democratic National Committee member. Teresa Gonzalez is a seasoned government relations professional who’s active across the city. Her recent wins include securing community support for the City of Yes zoning plan and assisting with the strategy and outreach to approve the Brooklyn Marine Terminal overhaul. A former principal lobbyist and legislative counsel to District Council 37, Mike Keogh also served as director of finance for the New York City Council, making him a skilled lobbyist who can help clients navigate the arcana of city government. Juanita Scarlett has a depth of government experience that includes stints as an executive vice president at Empire State Development, as a top staffer at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and at the governor’s office that allows her to navigate the halls of power with ease. Prisca Salazar-Rodriguez is a respected public affairs professional who knows how to get things done for her clients. She previously spent 22 years in the Bronx Borough President’s Office, along with stops in the mayor’s office and Empire State Development. John Albert helped pass the state’s anti-stalking law and expand New York City’s after-school programs. He also worked to obtain the funding needed for the United States Tennis Association to expand the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Editor’s note: Juanita Scarlett is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
56. Anthony Constantinople & Perry Vallone
At the top five New York City lobbying firm Constantinople & Vallone Consulting, Anthony Constantinople has been focused on issues surrounding energy and the environment, advancing multiple large-scale clean energy projects across the state, including battery storage developments. He was recently elected as secretary of the board of the New York League of Conservation Voters. Perry Vallone has been working on projects to improve the state of New York City’s housing and economy. He has been working closely with elected officials, agencies and community stakeholders to guide complex and game-changing projects through the public approval process and achieve successful outcomes for his clients and New Yorkers.
57. Michael Woloz
Michael Woloz knows how to get things done in New York City and Albany. Woloz is known for his portfolio of cultural affairs clients and his efforts to secure a $75 million increase in city funding for the Cultural Institutions Group and other arts interests and a $45 million baseline increase for the Department of Cultural Affairs. As the lead lobbyist for Instacart, he got a mayoral veto by Eric Adams of the grocery delivery bill, which was overridden by the council, and he helped Friends of the High Line defeat a nearby casino proposal in Hudson Yards. He also pushed the city to approve permits for autonomous vehicle testing for Waymo, which have since expired, and secured a contract for Verra Mobility to expand red-light cameras.
58. Edward Wallace
A Francophile, competitive swimmer and former member of the New York City Council, Edward Wallace is perhaps best known as one of the city’s go-to real estate lawyers and serves as co-chair of the firm’s New York office. Wallace has advised some of the top real estate power players in navigating city land use regulations and financial dealings. These include Silverstein Properties, Columbia University, New York University and Fetner Properties. He is also the chair of the French-American Foundation, vice chair and pro bono counsel for the Citizens Budget Commission, and chair emeritus of New Yorkers for Parks.
59. Vito Pitta
A top lobbyist, election attorney and 9/11 victims compensation lawyer, Vito Pitta delivers results for a range of clients. The former Eric Adams campaign attorney helped Bally’s Corp. win a downstate casino license in the Bronx and advocated for the expansion of prevailing wage protections in the trucking industry for Teamsters Joint Council 16. He assisted the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council in blocking changes to short-term rental regulations. His law firm, Pitta & Baione, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and its recovery of over $650 million in compensation for 9/11 victims.
60. Nancy Hagans & Pat Kane
Nurses are the hardest working people in any hospital, and Nancy Hagans and Pat Kane want to make sure they are treated with respect and compensated appropriately. The powerful New York State Nurses Association leaders led nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore and Mount Sinai through the longest nurses strike in New York City’s history. They ultimately reached deals with raises, safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence and protections in dealing with federal immigration officials after a weekslong strike. Earlier, a number of safety net hospitals reached deals with NYSNA to avoid strikes.
61. Rebecca Bailin
Rebecca Bailin spent years building a movement, and this year she broke through as state and city leaders took significant steps toward universal child care. The New Yorkers United for Child Care executive director laid the groundwork for one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises. In January, Bailin saw Gov. Kathy Hochul join Mamdani to propose funding for two years of a free child care program for 2-year-olds in New York City, part of a whopping $4.5 billion the governor is proposing to spend on child care statewide.
62. John Samuelsen
Veteran labor leader John Samuelsen is a pugnacious advocate for his members. The head of the 160,000-member Transport Workers Union is staying out of this year’s gubernatorial race, while denouncing Gov. Kathy Hochul as “a disaster for blue-collar New York” and assailing her veto of legislation requiring two-person subway crews and her order not to renew commercial driver’s licenses for immigrants. Samuelsen represents airline, railroad and transit workers, including Metropolitan Transportation Authority subway workers through TWU Local 100, which he once led.
63. Twyla Carter
Twyla Carter is leading The Legal Aid Society as it celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. The first Black woman and Asian American to head up the organization, Carter is a respected leader on legal aid and criminal justice reform issues. When fending off a potential strike by legal attorneys last year, Carter laid the blame with city and state officials, saying that chronic government underfunding has led to pay issues with its attorneys. Carter has also advocated against changes to the state’s discovery law reforms.
64. Mike Morey & Kerri Lyon
SKDK President Mike Morey, who has handled communications for the likes of U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, has notched a number of wins recently. He guided Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center through the land use process for the new Kenneth C. Griffin Pavilion on the Upper East Side last year, advised former Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken on becoming president of the Ford Foundation and supported Quinn’s nonprofit, Win, in securing $50 million in last year’s state budget for the Housing Access Voucher Program. A former journalist, firm partner Kerri Lyon is now one of New York City’s top public affairs strategists. Lyon has advanced reproductive rights, helped women who are harassed in the workplace and ensured teachers are successful education advocates. Lyon was an Emmy Award-winning reporter for NY1 and WCBS-TV and communications director for the New York City Department of Education.
65. Errol Louis
Errol Louis’ NY1 show is appointment television for anyone active in New York City politics. The veteran television journalist is omnipresent, moderating debates in city elections, hosting the “You Decide” podcast, penning a weekly column in New York magazine and training aspiring reporters as an adjunct professor at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Louis is the board chair of the Charles Revson Foundation, which recently hired former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer as the foundation’s new president.
66. Steven Rubenstein
Steven Rubenstein doesn’t just run one of New York City’s most influential and most venerable public relations firms. He also plays an important role in civic life as chair of the Association for a Better New York, a coalition of more than 250 businesses and nonprofit organizations seeking to improve the city. Last year, Rubenstein hosted one of Zohran Mamdani’s campaign presentations to business leaders skeptical of the democratic socialist. This year, ABNY unveiled an initiative with the New York/New Jersey FIFA World Cup Host Committee to disburse grants to neighborhoods citywide for World Cup-themed events.
67. Chris Coffey
A veteran of New York City politics, Chris Coffey advised New York Mets owner Steve Cohen on his successful casino bid and helped PrizePicks win a state gambling license. Coffey also pitched in trying to elect former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as mayor, providing communications advice and conducting outreach to the Orthodox Jewish community, which Coffey described as “informal advice.” Tusk enjoyed more success on the main independent expenditure on Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico’s primary win earlier this year.
68. Andrew Bard Epstein
Zohran Mamdani’s social media videos helped him gain traction in last year’s mayoral race, and Andrew Bard Epstein was the behind-the-scenes talent who helped make them go viral. The early Mamdani campaign hire served as communications director and spokesperson during the primary before pivoting to creative director in the general election. Epstein later helped to set up Mamdani’s City Hall communications operations and now runs his own consulting practice, Honest Abe LLC. Having gotten Mamdani elected mayor and Emily Gallagher elected to the Assembly in 2020, Epstein is trying for a hat trick with Assembly Member Claire Valdez’s congressional campaign.
69. David Greenfield
Met Council’s David Greenfield is a leader in New York City’s nonprofit sector and a voice for local Orthodox Jewish communities. Greenfield is also distinguishing himself as a forward-looking leader on artificial intelligence, leading an ambitious AI transformation at his social services organization. He has been integrating AI across all departments, paying Met Council staff for AI training and developing a $25 million AI-powered food distribution warehouse. Greenfield is also advocating for state legislation to ensure New Yorkers are protected as technology reshapes the economy.
70. Brendan Griffith
Brendan Griffith was elected the president of the New York City Central Labor Council last year, after more than a decade as chief of staff for the labor organization, which is made up of some 300 local unions. Under Griffith, the CLC endorsed Council Member Julie Menin’s successful speaker bid last year. Griffith, who’s also a member of Ironworkers Local 40 and the United University Professions, has overseen programs and handled day-to-day operations for the CLC. This spring, the union organization rallied in support of the pending Delivery Protection Act.
71. Patrick Hendry
Last year, Patrick Hendry was dealing with a mayor who was a former police captain. This year, he’s dealing with a mayor who’s far more skeptical of law enforcement – although Hendry welcomed the reappointment of NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Following a snowball fight in Washington Square Park that left several police officers injured, Hendry called for arrests while Mayor Zohran Mamdani said nobody should face charges. The chief of the more than 21,000-member Police Benevolent Association has prioritized recruitment and retention and last year won an Albany battle to restore the 20-year retirement benefit for the New York City Police Department.
72. Rose Christ & Katie Schwab
At Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, Rose Christ and Katie Schwab lead a skilled team that navigates the complexities of New York government to achieve results for their clients. Christ and Schwab have expanded the firm’s housing development practice, adding developers and advocacy groups to their roster. Their team has pushed legislation to make it easier to develop new housing across the state and guided projects like a new major mixed-use development on Manhattan’s West Side. The firm also obtained over $70 million in city and state grants for nonprofit clients last year.
73. Maury Litwack
Maury Litwack was one of the first to say that Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for New York City mayor should be taken seriously, although for Litwack it was a word of warning to Jewish voters. Litwack founded the Jewish Voters Action Network to encourage the Jewish community to use its collective voice to be an electoral force at the voting booth to combat antisemitism and other issues. Litwack, who helped Rep. George Latimer topple then-Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the 2024 Democratic primary, was previously the leader of the Teach Coalition, a nonprofit educational advocacy group associated with the Orthodox Union.
74. Michele de Milly & Ethan Geto
A former top adviser to the president of what’s now Empire State Development, Michele de Milly knows how New York works and puts that experience to use for her clients at Geto & de Milly. She and the firm have been focused on affordable housing and innovation, including the development of the housing components of City of Yes, the approval of the city’s new life sciences hub and the approval of the new New York City Football Club stadium and accompanying affordable housing in Queens. A one-time assistant commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, Ethan Geto has been focused on housing and the arts. Geto and his firm worked with William Macklowe Company and the Fifth Avenue Committee in Brooklyn on the development of a community benefits agreement that addresses both affordable housing and food security issues. He has successfully advocated for Playwrights Horizons and obtained funding for clients to address child poverty and mental health.
75. Corey Johnson
Former New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is no longer in elected office, but he’s still in the game with his boutique lobbying firm, Cojo Strategies. The lobbyist and political strategist represents clients including Vornado, Bally’s Corp., DoorDash and Deloitte. Johnson’s former chief of staff and his successor in the City Council, Erik Bottcher, recently moved up to the state Senate, and another former aide, Carl Wilson, is running in a special election for Bottcher’s vacant seat. Johnson serves on the board of the Community Service Society.
76. Carlo Scissura
A well-connected leader in New York City’s construction industry, Carlo Scissura is focused on expanding the housing supply, investing in infrastructure and spurring economic development. The New York Building Congress leader has called for changes to the city charter designed to boost housing construction. He has also been a cheerleader for the Gateway Program and the redevelopment of Penn Station, and he has spearheaded efforts to address the crumbling Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. He also supported the Northeast Supply Enhancement natural gas pipeline that’s now under construction and wants to increase the use of alternative delivery methods for infrastructure projects.
77. Camille Joseph-Goldman
Once the youngest deputy comptroller in New York City’s history, Camille Joseph-Goldman has moved from budgets, audits and municipal bonds to strategic partnerships, C-suite briefings and telecommunications regulations in the corporate sector. She has spent nearly a decade at Charter Communications, where she oversees government affairs for the telecommunications firm from New York City to Maine. She was previously a top aide to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and has a depth of campaign experience, including on Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.
78. Jason Laidley
Jason Laidley is the founder of London House, a public affairs and lobbying firm. Laidley is a senior political adviser to the Bronx Democratic Party, and he is a close ally and former chief of staff to state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, the Bronx Democratic Party leader. Laidley is also close with Rep. Greg Meeks, the leader of the Queens Democrats and Laidley’s father-in-law, and helped the Bronx and Queens council contingents elevate Council Member Julie Menin to the speakership. Laidley’s lobbying clients include the Bronx Community Foundation, the New York Apartment Association, the Sports Betting Alliance and Airbnb.
79. Marc Lapidus & Matthew Rey
Marc Lapidus is bringing his A game in propelling clients into elected office and delivering results on advocacy campaigns. He uses his expertise to guide campaigns and advocacy campaigns to help his clients achieve their goals. Matthew Rey has worked all across the Northeast on a number of political campaigns – including the likes of Erik Bottcher, Shirley Aldebol and Virginia Maloney in New York over the past year. The firm played a critical role in getting Eric Adams elected mayor of New York City in 2021 – Red Horse’s Katie Moore was his campaign manager, and another founding partner, Nathan Smith, was part of Adams’ inner circle – but they distanced themselves from the scandal-plagued incumbent during the 2025 cycle, when Adams ultimately dropped out.
80. Jason Ortiz & Jenny Sedlis
Jason Ortiz and Jenny Sedlis have established Moonshot Strategies, which they launched in 2021, as a mainstay of New York’s public affairs world, achieving victories for clients ranging from the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council to the Innocence Project. Ortiz is a former political and strategic affairs director for the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and an experienced adviser to candidates for elected office as well as policy and advocacy campaigns. Sedlis made her mark as the executive director of StudentsFirstNY, a charter school advocacy organization, and has experience managing super PACs and consulting with CEOs. Moonshot’s client list includes Uber, Genting New York, Bally’s Corp., Red Bull and the Vera Institute of Justice.
81. Jeffrey Citron & Louis Coletti
Jeffrey Citron, the co-managing partner of legal powerhouse Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, is an expert in real estate, economic development and tax incentive law. He has served as counsel to a number of industrial development agencies, providing the expertise needed to help guide important projects to fruition to spur economic growth while also advising on the arcana of industrial revenue bond financing. Louis Coletti, the former longtime head of the Building Trades Employers’ Association, is now a senior adviser at DHC. In his storied career, Coletti has helped shape the city’s capital process reforms and protocols for construction during the COVID-19 pandemic and coordinated the city response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Superstorm Sandy. He also drafted legislation to create the New York City School Construction Authority.
82. Eric Goldstein
Eric Goldstein, one of New York’s most prominent Jewish leaders, is preparing to step down as CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York this summer. Goldstein, who took the role at the philanthropic organization in 2014, has responded forcefully to rising antisemitism and supported Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. In New York City, the organization is monitoring Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, particularly on issues related to the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement against Israel. It raised $316.1 million in fiscal year 2025.
83. Donna Lieberman
Donna Lieberman and the New York Civil Liberties Union are once again battling President Donald Trump after weathering his first term – and the volume of fights Trump has started this time around has only increased. Lieberman is leading the civil liberties organization in fighting Trump’s immigration enforcement and deportations and has called on state lawmakers to pass the New York for All Act to impose strict limits on local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. She helped to pass the state’s Equal Rights Amendment and the new Medical Aid in Dying law.
84. Tyquana Henderson-Rivers
With a long track record in New York politics, Tyquana Henderson-Rivers has built Connective Strategies into a go-to firm for high-level political campaigns. She advises businesses, advocacy groups and candidates on building out their brands. The Queens consultant has contributed to electoral victories by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Greg Meeks, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Her current and former clients include Altria Client Services, NYC Health + Hospitals and the Real Estate Board of New York.
Editor’s note: Tyquana Henderson-Rivers is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
85. Rob Speyer
Rob Speyer is a power player in real estate and politics. As board co-chair of the Partnership for New York City, Speyer has reportedly been supportive of the aggressive approach being taken by the influential business group’s new leader, Steve Fulop, as a counterweight to the Mamdani administration. In his day job running the $65 billion real estate firm Tishman Speyer, he completed the redevelopment and refinancing of Rockefeller Center and is reportedly in talks to buy back the Chrysler Building. Speyer has also expanded into residential, industrial and life sciences real estate.
86. George Fontas
The founder of one of New York’s top government affairs and strategic consulting firms serving the real estate sector, George Fontas has managed over 40 complex land use projects and has represented a number of top clients, including Google, Dell and Intel. The veteran lobbyist is also the board chair of Plus Pool, which is close to opening the world’s first water-filtering swimming pool in the East River. The pool is expected to be in the river for testing this summer and will provide free swimming for the community, along with swim lessons and waterway access.
87. Randy Peers
As the leader of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Randy Peers is advocating for businesses from Brooklyn Heights to Bensonhurst. Through the Five Borough Jobs Campaign, Peers is pushing an agenda to aid small-business growth as central to any affordability agenda – including full funding for the city’s Department of Small Business Services and a 90-day moratorium on fines and fees for businesses. He has also led international trade missions, offered artificial intelligence training for small businesses and launched a tourism platform, visitbrooklyn.nyc.
88. Annemarie Gray
Annemarie Gray is a prominent advocate for the construction of more homes in New York, and her policy prescriptions are being adopted. She was a supporter of the City of Yes rezoning overhaul, which aims to make it easier to build more housing, and she backed several successful ballot measures to streamline land use reviews and expedite the creation of affordable housing in New York City. Gray has deep expertise in housing policy, with prior experience as a senior policy adviser on housing and land use under two New York City deputy mayors.
89. Mark Treyger
Mark Treyger is combating antisemitism in New York City. The former New York City Council Education Committee chair and schoolteacher supported recently passed city legislation to establish buffer zones around houses of worship. He is calling for increased education efforts to counter antisemitism and filed a civil rights complaint with state officials after the city’s only Ethiopian-Israeli restaurant closed due to harassment. Treyger has conducted a variety of engagement events, including a hamentashen crawl with Public Advocate Jumanne Williams and a Shavuot cheesecake crawl with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
Editor’s note: Mark Treyger is a member of the City & State’s advisory board.
90. Anthony Coscia
As the board chair of Amtrak, Anthony Coscia is in the middle of the nation’s largest infrastructure project: digging a new commuter train tunnel under the Hudson River and improving interrelated rail issues in the New York City metropolitan area and the entire Northeast region. Coscia also serves as the vice chair of the Gateway Development Commission, which is directly managing the project. An attorney at Windels Marx with expertise in corporate, commercial and real estate finance, Coscia is also a former chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
91. Sanjiv Shah
An infectious disease expert, Dr. Sanjiv Shah is the chief medical officer of MetroPlusHealth, a low-cost health plan serving over 712,000 New Yorkers. He uses his background as a physician, a teacher and a health care executive to drive efforts to provide quality and affordable health care for New Yorkers. Shah was named chief medical officer months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he redeployed MetroPlusHealth staff to NYC Health + Hospitals to help treat New Yorkers. He also partnered with the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to increase testing and vaccination rates for MetroPlusHealth members.
92. Kenny Burgos
As young Assembly members, Kenny Burgos and now-Mayor Zohran Mamdani enjoyed a collegial relationship, with a shared Spotify playlist and exchanging fashion tips. Now the landlord group leader and the first-term mayor are classic frenemies, with Mamdani’s pro-rent freeze positions getting in the way. Burgos argues Mamdani’s rent policies will harm the city’s housing stock, particularly in the outer boroughs, and cause more problems for renters and landlords – although their differences didn’t prevent them from meeting recently to try to find common ground on issues like the city’s property tax system.
93. Gregory Morris
As New York City’s top advocate for workforce development, Gregory Morris is making sure training local workers is at the heart of the economic agenda. Last year, the New York City Employment and Training Coalition issued a report calling for changing workforce development policy in the city and state, including increased transparency, improved employer engagement and a focus on economic mobility. He recently teamed with former Partnership for New York City leader Kathryn Wylde to call on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to create a city Workforce Development Corp. to complement the Economic Development Corp.
94. Lina Khan
One of the most activist Federal Trade Commission chairs in history, Lina Khan’s next act was to help shape Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration. As a transition co-chair, Khan oversaw appointments and policy issues related to the mayor’s expansive affordability and economic agenda. She helped with the appointment of Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine, a top Khan aide at the FTC. Khan also scoured city and state laws to maximize Mamdani’s ability to enact his progressive agenda. She remains a mayoral economic adviser, a national thought leader on economic inequality and co-leader of Columbia Law School’s new Center for Law and the Economy.
95. Patrick Gaspard
One of the nation’s leading progressives and a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Patrick Gaspard is a New Yorker at heart, and he emerged as a trusted adviser to Mayor Zohran Mamdani in his general election campaign. Gaspard asserted that Mamdani was able to get to City Hall by capturing a vibe running through Democratic primary that other candidates were not, comparing it at times to the way Barack Obama, who Gaspard once advised, captured the White House in 2008. Gaspard previously led both the Center for American Progress, a leading Washington, D.C., think tank, and the Open Society Foundations.
96. Maria Torres-Springer
Former New York City First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer joined the Charles H. Revson Foundation as its president in January, the latest move in a career that has made her an influential civic leader. The foundation focuses on grantmaking in biomedical research, education, Jewish life and urban affairs in New York City and Israel. Torres-Springer, who has headed the city’s Economic Development Corp. as well as its Housing Preservation and Development and Small Business Services departments, was a co-chair of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition team.
97. Sydney Altfield
After seven years at the helm of Teach NYS, advocating for Jewish education in the halls of Albany, Sydney Altfield is taking her advocacy national. Altfield was promoted last year to CEO of Teach Coalition, which advocates for funding for Jewish and other nonpublic schools. Altfield has endorsed a federal $500 million investment into charter schools, saying the plan is “transformative” for Jewish education. She teamed up with Catholic and Muslim education leaders to call for increased efforts to reduce hate crimes at religious schools.
98. Brian Cook & Roberto Perez
At the Albany lobbying powerhouse Brown & Weinraub, Brian Cook and Roberto Perez utilize their government know-how to serve their clients. Cook is a former assistant New York City comptroller for economic development, a role in which he oversaw investment of $3.4 billion to finance the reaction of 50,000 units of affordable housing. He is also a former land use director in the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. Cook recently helped shepherd the approval for the 1720 Atlantic Ave. rezoning, facilitated approvals for the new lease modification for nonprofit development group Chung Pak and assisted Mural Real Estate Partners in securing $24 million from the city. Perez, host of the “The Perez Notes” podcast, worked in the New York City Mayor’s Office as director of intergovernmental affairs and as commissioner of the then-Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit. He has also served as vice president for legislative affairs at the New York Power Authority, as senior executive director for intergovernmental affairs at the New York City Department of Education and deputy chief of staff in the New York City Public Advocate’s Office.
99. Stephen Liakas
Since founding Liakas Law in 2014, Stephen Liakas has grown his eponymous firm into a political powerhouse. Liakas, a personal injury trial attorney who leads the firm’s federal and New Jersey practice groups, has brought on Ali Najmi, a close ally of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the new chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, as a special counsel dealing with civil rights, catastrophic construction injuries and police and corrections abuse cases. Former Rep. Ed Towns also joined the firm as a senior adviser focusing on community engagement and advocacy issues.
100. Rama Duwaji
It has yet to be seen how active a role first lady Rama Duwaji will have in the administration of her husband, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. What’s clear is that she has grabbed the attention of the public and the press, from sympathetic features like a photo shoot and story in The Cut and a Vogue take on her haircut to more critical coverage, including a series of scoops about her past controversial social media posts. Duwaji has also sent a message with her fashion choices and showing up at shows by the New York label Diotima.
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