On January 7th, a beautiful lady walked slowly towards the main podium of the city council hall, patting her chest and bowing to colleagues on both sides and the audience above and below. She then took out a prepared speech and began thanking a long list of people.
Representing Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Council Member Julie Menin, while knowing it was a sure win, was overwhelmed with surprise and excitement at being unanimously elected by all 51 members as the new Speaker of the New York City Council. “This is a historic moment,” she said.
Although not as grand as the mayoral inauguration a week ago, her election as a powerful council leader in an era of rising anti-Semitism and growing tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities, with New York City having its first Muslim mayor, is indeed significant and marks the beginning of a new era.
Menin is a moderate Democrat bridging the progressive and conservative factions, a representative of the moderate Democrats; Jews look to her for support, Muslim people hope for conflict resolution. Menin’s own family background and struggle make her a typical New York immigrant success story.
At the first plenary session of the 2026 newly elected council, several council members nominated Julie Menin as the new Speaker. Council Member Shaun Abreu of Manhattan’s West Side District 7 was one of them.
In a recollection, Abreu began, “In 2015, at 24, as a government liaison, I met with workers across Manhattan, introducing them to a new law to protect their rights…” He mentioned how most New Yorkers now take for granted the ability to take sick leave, a result of strong state legislative leadership and people like Julie who ensured the effective enforcement of the law.
Dozens of council members shared their stories with Menin. What was a power struggle and reorganization in an authoritarian country turned into a casual conversation in the New York City Council hall. When someone mentioned Menin’s daughter, the girl sitting beside her father, sometimes clutching her brother, raised her hand to signal to everyone…
Menin has served over three terms as a council member, advancing legislation on child care access, establishing an office for healthcare accountability; as a former small business owner, she created a one-stop online city licensing portal to ease the burden on small businesses; having served as head of the Consumer Affairs Bureau and Media and Entertainment Office in city government, she resolved a range of issues, including the “Rise NYC Kids” project, accumulating $44 million in college savings accounts for 280,000 children; she also worked for 7 years on the Manhattan Community Board 1, promoting post 9/11 Manhattan reconstruction, launching initiatives like “Wall Street Restart” to help small businesses, new schools, and female empowerment programs, aiding in advancing the Muslim Community Center, and more.
It was this last point that also earned Menin support from Muslim council members.
“As the first Muslim woman on the City Council, faith holds extraordinary significance for me. It inspires me to fight for New York City and for my love of this city,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Council Member Menin will be a strong partner in my fight against all hatred and Islamophobia, defending the peace of our city. Our City Council has many opportunities to show the true essence of unity, love, and care to all New Yorkers.”
Menin also received support from Republican and conservative council members. Council Member Vikkie Paladino, known for being conservative and outspoken, proudly declared her vote for Menin.
“As someone steadfast and believing in individualism, I proudly voted for Menin,” Paladino said. “There are many reasons, but the most important is that she understands the people; I hope she can lead us forward along a moderate path.”
During her victory speech, Menin thanked former council speakers and various figures in the New York political scene. In the union segment of her gratitude, she first mentioned the Hotel Trades Council (HTC). Menin’s close relationship with HTC might concern New York short-term rental owners and hoteliers. Finally, she thanked her husband Bruce and four children.
“While being elected as City Council Speaker is the pinnacle of my career, being a mother brings me the greatest joy and happiness,” Menin said.
Menin comes from a Jewish family. In the 1950s, her grandmother and mother, who lost all their relatives in the Holocaust, made their way from Europe to New York. They hid in a basement in Hungary, escaped to Czechoslovakia one night, where they faced anti-Semitism, then fled to Australia before arriving in New York after 6 years.
“Besides the American dream and an unwavering determination, they had almost nothing,” Menin said. “The people of the East Side of Manhattan warmly welcomed my family… Today, I am honored to represent this community, and it means the world to me.”
Born in Manhattan, Menin learned law and opened a restaurant downtown after 7 years as a lawyer. But 9/11 destroyed her small restaurant, shattering all the windows, and scattering glass fragments everywhere. She then founded a non-profit organization to fight for her interests, leading her into politics.
“To be honest, I never dreamed of becoming a politician, running for office,” Menin said, but fate led her to becoming the new Council Speaker with immense power today. Menin said her story is also the immigrant story of millions of New Yorkers.
From Dominican families in Washington Heights to Mexican communities in Sunset Park; from Haitian families in Flatbush, Panak and Jewish families in Crown Heights and East New York in the Caribbean community; from Polish families in Greenpoint, Ridgewood, to the Chinese community in Flushing; from South Asian families in Jackson Heights, Richmond Hill to West African communities in the Bronx and Staten Island…
“They all opened their homes and shops to newcomers, helping the next generation establish roots in faith, work, and community assistance,” Menin said. This is “New York,” where our city thrives not on a simple model, but on the ability to balance seemingly contradictory yet complementary truths.
Menin has become the desired partner for cooperation and also faces unprecedented challenges, with critics emerging when hopes are unmet. Vernikov bluntly stated: “The Mayor’s (Mahdani) performance in the first few days in office confirmed our worst fears,” so “the City Council must serve as a barrier to the mayor’s radical Marxist agenda.”
Following the Speaker election meeting, newly elected Minority Party Chairman David Carr spoke clearly, emphasizing the need for balancing socialism in the age where individual freedom and property rights are challenged, stating that the City Council and Speaker must counteract the socialist mayor.
“History has proven that socialism is the root of tyranny, suffering, and economic failure,” Republican Council Member Carr said, stressing the importance of traditional values like public safety, wealth, education, homeownership, “We will continue to strengthen relationships with all parties in the Council and the new Speaker to promote ‘common sense’ legislation that can improve the lives of all New Yorkers.”
A new era in New York’s political scene has begun, marked by collaboration and challenge. Menin said, “This moment is indeed historic, but what truly goes down in history is whether this cross-religious leadership model can unite us, ease tensions, bridge divides, and recognize our unity, regardless of our faith or language.”