City Council Speaker's Race: Julie Menin and Crystal Hudson emerge as two favorites as they vie for colleagues' support | amNewYork

"The current speaker, Adrienne Adams, is term-limited at the end of this year, meaning the body's 51 members must choose her replacement come January. Next to the mayor, the City Council speaker may be the most influential figure in city politics as the chamber's leader sets the body's agenda, works with other parts of the municipal government, controls what legislation gets voted on, and wields great power in negotiating the yearly budget, which the Council controls."

"So far, five candidates are running to replace Speaker Adams, who was first elected to the post in early 2022 and has served for the duration of outgoing Mayor Eric Adams' (no relation) tenure: Council Members Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn), Amanda Farias (D-Bronx), Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Queens), and Christopher Marte (D-Manhattan). Although there is still over a month to go, the race appears to have narrowed down to two candidates: Menin and Hudson."

"Whoever becomes speaker will need a majority (26) of the 51-member council in the election at the start of the new session in January. A council source told amNewYork it is hard to say exactly how many members currently support Menin and Hudson. However, they provided an assessment of where the members from each borough stand, noting that Queens is mostly aligned with Menin, Brooklyn and Staten Island are mostly aligned with Hudson, and Manhattan and the Bronx are split between the two."

Adrienne Adams is term-limited at year-end, requiring the City Council’s 51 members to choose a new speaker in January. The speaker sets the Council’s agenda, negotiates the annual budget, and controls which legislation reaches the floor, making the role highly influential. Five council members have entered the race, with Julie Menin and Crystal Hudson emerging as the leading contenders. The new speaker must secure 26 votes to prevail. Borough alignments appear to favor Menin in Queens and Hudson in Brooklyn and Staten Island, while Manhattan and the Bronx remain divided. Menin represents the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island and positions herself to counter aggressive federal actions, including threats to deploy the National Guard.

Read at www.amny.com