#politics #politician #newyork New York City has a new mayor, and Zohran Mamdani isn’t just stepping into City Hall—he’s bringing a team of powerhouse women to help him tackle affordability across the city. So, let’s find out who they are. Who Are The Women Leading Mamdani’s Transition Team?
00:00New York City has a new mayor, and Zoran Mamdani isn't just stepping into City Hall.
00:04He's bringing a team of powerhouse women to help him tackle affordability across the city.
00:09So let's find out who they are.
00:11Throughout this campaign, I've worked hard to be accessible and transparent with New Yorkers.
00:17That same spirit will animate this transition.
00:20Starting with the most talked-about name on the list, Lina Khan.
00:24She was born in London and moved to the U.S. when she was 11.
00:27Her father, a consultant with an impressive career, even served as CEO of a major Indian online gaming company,
00:35a background that no doubt shaped Lina's own perspective on technology and business.
00:39Lina's married to Shah Rukh Ali, a cardiologist at Columbia University, and together they have a son.
00:46Professionally, Lina has become one of the top legal minds in antitrust law.
00:50These really fundamental things about people's daily material lives are affected by things like antitrust.
00:56Her work caught national attention, and in 2021, President Biden appointed her to lead the Federal Trade Commission.
01:03Since then, she's been leading the charge against monopolistic practices, proving that Lina Khan knows exactly how to stand her ground.
01:11That's right. I mean, the short of it is we want to make sure that the American public is not getting bullied or coerced in the marketplace or tricked.
01:18And so we enforce the nation's antitrust and consumer protection laws.
01:22Another key figure is Ilana Leopold, a political strategist who's been behind some major progressive campaigns.
01:29Ilana knows New York politics inside and out.
01:32She's run statewide campaigns, advised high-profile public figures, and even served as finance director for Mayor Bill de Blasio's re-election campaign.
01:40I love this city deeply, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to help shape its future.
01:46Today, she runs her own advisory firm and co-founded Seneca Strategies.
01:51Recognized by Fortune's 40 Under 40, Ilana has spent years helping organizations turn ideas into action.
01:59Off the clock, she shares her life with her wife, Kesey.
02:02The two got married on September 23, 2023.
02:05And here's a fun detail. Their wedding registry was full of simple everyday items, a coffee machine, a blender, even a chip and dip server.
02:15So, yes, despite her powerhouse career, Ilana is just like the rest of us when it comes to enjoying life's small comforts.
02:22I'm also expecting a child soon, and so I want the future that she inherits to be one of possibility and opportunity.
02:30And I want my new family, like so many others, to be able to rely on the universal child care that they're uncampaigned on.
02:38Then there's Maria Torres Springer, a veteran of city government who was essentially running City Hall as first deputy mayor under Eric Adams.
02:45Born in Los Angeles to Filipino parents, Maria grew up facing financial struggles and relied on Section 8 housing vouchers.
02:52She became the first in her family to attend college, earning a degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale, thanks to her parents pooling all their savings to make it possible.
03:03She later went on to earn a master's in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School in 2005.
03:08Today, she's president of the Revson Foundation and has held key roles in economic development and housing in both the de Blasio and Bloomberg administrations.
03:16Maria lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Jamie Torres Springer, who serves as president of construction and development at the MTA.
03:31Together, they're raising two daughters aged 14 and 10.
03:35She knows firsthand what it means to start with limited resources and still build a successful, impactful life.
03:42Grace Bonilla is another powerhouse on the team.
03:44Born in Queens to Ecuadorian parents, she grew up in South Jamaica, a neighborhood not typically associated with Latino communities.
03:52From an early age, she helped her family navigate day-to-day life as a bilingual child, going to doctor's appointments and parent-teacher conferences on their behalf.
04:01That experience sparked her passion for language access and social services, and today she leads United Way of New York City.
04:08I also know that as a first-generation American, as the oldest daughter of folks who didn't speak English, the beauty of the city has a lot of hardship, and United Way is there to bridge that gap.
04:21Grace has worked in city government, including as executive director of the Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion, and has played a key role in tackling the city's housing crisis.
04:31Finally, we have Melanie Hartzog, who grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island in a family that experienced financial instability, including living in a motel for two years.
04:42Her mother's family is from Guyana, and her father moved to Brooklyn from South Carolina.
04:47Her own experiences with poverty and injustice, especially seeing her 16-year-old brother arrested, charged as an adult, and incarcerated for nearly a decade shaped her dedication to human services.
04:58Melanie went on to serve as de Blasio's budget director, managing the largest municipal budget in the U.S., and later as deputy mayor for Health and Human Services.
05:07She's now president and CEO of New York Foundling, a major child welfare organization.
05:13How impressive is that?
05:14It's my honor to join the mayor-elect and this incredible group of women who epitomize public service to make sure that we bring the very best, brightest, and most principled people to deliver for our fellow New Yorkers on this moment of promise.
05:29Thank you so much.
05:30Zoran was born in Kampala, Uganda, five years after his father, Mahmoud Mamdani, had returned home from exile.
05:36Mahmoud, one of Africa's most respected political thinkers, had been expelled from Uganda back in 1972 by dictator Idi Amin because of his Indian ethnicity.
05:48Later, in 1984, the government of Milton Obote went so far as to revoke his citizenship altogether.
05:55After he spoke out against their policies, stateless but unshaken, Mahmoud eventually returned in 1986, determined to rebuild.
06:03Zoran's mother, meanwhile, is none other than Meera Nair, the award-winning filmmaker behind Monsoon Wedding and Mississippi Masala.
06:12Yes, that Meera Nair, the one who made Denzel Washington swoon on screen long before he was people's sexiest man alive.
06:19Filmmaking is a disease, and you have to be sick, and I'm super sick.
06:24Together, they're a powerhouse pair.
06:26Both Harvard graduates, both global voices, both deeply committed to art and activism.
06:31Mahmoud currently teaches at Columbia University.
06:35So, it's no surprise their son grew up steeped in conversations about justice, politics, and storytelling.
06:41Sometimes all at once?
06:43After living in Uganda, the family moved to South Africa when Zoran was five, and then to New York when he was seven.
06:49By the time he hit high school, he was already fluent in crossing worlds, cultural, political, and literal.
06:55He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and went on to earn a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College in Maine.
07:03Before politics, Zoran worked as a housing counselor, fighting evictions across New York City.
07:09He's described that time as transformative, the point where his ideals met reality.
07:13But here's the twist.
07:16He also had a creative side.
07:18For a while, Zoran was producing hip-hop music under the name Mr. Cardamom, blending his mother's artistic influence with the grit of city life.
07:26Chop, chop, chop it up.
07:28Over the past year, Mir has even taken a break from filmmaking to support her son's run, cooking biryani and chicken for campaign volunteers.
07:37His father, now 79, says with a smile,
07:39We hadn't bargained for being parents of a prospective mayor.
07:43But while he's been front and center focused on his core message of making New York more affordable, someone else quietly caught the public's attention, too.
07:50His wife, yep, Zoran is married, and his wife, Rama Dawaji, is a Syrian artist with an impressive creative background.
07:59And I must thank my incredible wife.
08:05Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, The New Yorker, and she's even created posters for events across the city.
08:12Basically, she's the kind of person who says more through her art than any press conference ever could.
08:17And honestly, good for her.
08:19So how did these two meet?
08:21Not through politics, and not at some gallery opening, either.
08:24They actually met on Hinge.
08:26That's right.
08:27The same dating app you've probably deleted and reinstalled a dozen times.
08:31I met my wife on Hinge, so there is still hope in those dating apps.
08:36Hinge PR team, you paying attention?
08:38And yes, they're already married.
08:40Zoran shared in an interview that they tied the knot in a civil ceremony earlier this year at the city clerk's office.
08:46But before that, they had a celebration in Dubai with Rama's family.
08:50Photos from the event show a joyful gathering, and despite what some online critics claimed, the venue wasn't exactly over the top.
08:58According to reports, ceremonies there cost about $72 per guest.
09:02So, basically the same as dinner and drinks in Manhattan.
09:05Still, once the relationship came to light, trolls started circling.
09:09They accused Mamdani of hiding his wife, and criticized Rama for supporting the pro-Palestine movement through her art.
09:17Some even tried to frame their Dubai celebration as some sort of scandal, but Mamdani wasn't having it.
09:24He posted photos from their civil ceremony on Instagram and addressed the situation head-on.
09:29He wrote,
09:29We have to stand up and fight back.
09:39Rama isn't just my wife, she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.
09:46You can critique my views, but not my family.
09:48A clear and powerful response.
09:51We have to stand up and fight back.
09:52While Rama has mostly stayed quiet throughout all this, she did post a sweet election day message.
09:58It was a photo carousel.
10:00Some adorable photo booth pics from an Eid celebration.
10:04A classic, I voted sticker selfie.
10:06And even a childhood snap of Zoran that honestly belongs in a campaign ad.
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