Mamdani on Friday ticked Adams administration alum Leila Bozorg as his deputy mayor for housing and planning.
Bozorg is Adam’s executive director of housing, a new role he created in 2023, reporting to the deputy mayor of housing, economic development and workforce. She also served on the mayor’s Charter Revision Commission, which presented four housing-related ballot measures to voters, including three that created different avenues for project approval.
Gothamist report first the appointment.
Mamdani appears to be peeling back the economic development and human resources portion of the deputy mayor’s portfolio. Mayor Eric Adams also tried to separate housing from economic development, but shifted the former’s responsibilities to a new role, chief housing officer. That position was held by Jessica Katz, who left after sixteen months. After her departure, Adams added housing back to the deputy mayor’s purview, but also created the role of Bozorg.
Mamdani also announced the creation of a new position: Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice, which will focus on protecting workers and consumers. The newly elected mayor appointed Julie Su, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Joe Biden, to this role.
Before joining the Adams administration, Bozorg served on the City Planning Commission and was chief strategy and policy officer at the nonprofit NYC Kids RISE. Previously, she served as chief of staff to HPD Commissioners Vicki Been and Louise Carroll from 2014 to 2020. She also served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In a news release announcing the appointments, Bozorg was described as “instrumental” in negotiating the city’s Yes for Housing Opportunity text change. Mamdani said in a statement that Bozorg will fulfill his government’s “commitment to build more housing and protect tenants.”
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