The New York City Council voted during its 2026 Charter Meeting Wednesday to elect Julie Menin as the council's speaker.

The city says Menin is the first Jewish speaker to lead the council. She is the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors.

Menin previously served as commissioner of media and entertainment, commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs and as the director of the city's 2020 Census.

The newly elected speaker represented District 5, beginning in January 2022, which includes parts of the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island. The council passed multiple pieces of Menin’s legislation during her first two terms, including legislation to advance child care, to create an Office of Healthcare Accountability and to ease burdens on small businesses.

Menin is an attorney, a former adjunct professor who taught city government at Columbia University and a former small business owner, according to the city.

Read her full bio here.

"I am deeply honored and humbled that my City Council colleagues have elected me as Speaker," said Speaker Julie Menin. "New York has a long history of turning moments of challenge into moments of opportunity. Together, we will forge a new City Council that takes a more forceful and proactive approach to New York's shared goals. That includes enacting universal child care, lowering skyrocketing health care costs, building more affordable housing, and slashing fines and bureaucratic red tape for small businesses."

Councilmembers representing the Bronx and Brooklyn issued the following statements:

"Council Member Julie Menin brings deep experience, steady leadership, and a strong understanding of how this city works and how our decisions impact New Yorkers' daily lives," said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. "She is a proven bridge builder who leads with fairness, transparency, and equity, and understands the responsibility this Council has to step up during moments of uncertainty. I'm confident she will lead this body with integrity, collaboration, and a clear sense of purpose, and I'm proud to support her nomination as Speaker of the New York City Council."

"I am proud to have nominated Julie Menin as Speaker of the New York City Council," said Council Member Farah N. Louis. "Her record as a public servant speaks to the kind of values-driven leadership this moment demands — a commitment to affordability, women's equity, and building an economy that works for all New Yorkers. I am confident that under Speaker Menin's leadership the Council will deliver meaningful results and guide our city into a new era of opportunity."

"Julie Menin is a thoughtful and principled leader with a proven ability to move complex policy forward while centering the needs of New Yorkers," said Council Member Eric Dinowitz. "Having worked alongside her in the City Council for the past four years, I know she is uniquely prepared to lead a collaborative and effective Council that delivers real results for our city. I look forward to partnering with Speaker Menin to advance meaningful progress in every neighborhood, strengthen support for our city's students, confront the affordability crisis, and ensure the Council remains a strong champion for working families, older adults, and people with disabilities.