Julie Menin: Career Timeline

Early Legal Career (1992 to 1999)

After graduating from Northwestern University School of Law in 1992, Menin began her professional career as a regulatory attorney at Wiley, Rein and Fielding in Washington, D.C., where she specialized in consumer protection issues . In 1995, she returned to New York City to work as a senior regulatory attorney at Colgate-Palmolive, handling regulatory matters for the company that encompassed the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and consumer litigation disputes in state and federal courts .

Small Business Owner and Post-9/11 Civic Leadership (1999 to 2013)

In 1999, Menin opened Vine, a restaurant, market, and catering business located near the New York Stock Exchange in Lower Manhattan . Her business was severely damaged by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Within weeks of the attacks, she founded Wall Street Rising, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Lower Manhattan recover, which ultimately grew to more than 30,000 members and assisted over 600 small businesses in remaining in the area .

In 2005, Menin was elected chair of Manhattan Community Board 1 in a special election, a position she held for seven consecutive years through re-elections in 2006, 2008, and 2010 . During her tenure as chair, she facilitated the construction of three new public schools, including the city's first green school, PS 276 . She also helped secure $150 million in public funding for the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center site and led the community board through the controversial approval of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York near Ground Zero . She served concurrently on the board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the 9/11 Memorial Jury, and as a founding trustee of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum .

In 2013, Menin ran for Manhattan Borough President in the Democratic primary, finishing fourth behind the eventual winner, Gale Brewer . She had led in campaign fundraising with more than $1 million raised and secured endorsements from several council members and the late Mayor Ed Koch .

Commissioner of Consumer Affairs (2014 to 2016)

On April 24, 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Menin as Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs . During her tenure, she oversaw the implementation of the city's Paid Sick Leave Law, the Small Business Relief Package, and the Living Wage Executive Order . She instituted 25 reforms to reduce fines on small businesses where there was no consumer harm, achieving a one-third reduction in business fines overall while simultaneously increasing consumer restitution by 70 percent . She also launched trailblazing investigations into for-profit colleges, predatory lenders, debt collectors, and fraudulent auto loan practices . Her Earned Income Tax Credit initiative returned $260 million to low-income New Yorkers through an expanded outreach program that achieved a 50 percent increase in residents using the city's free tax preparation centers . During this period, she also helped create NYC Kids Rise, a nonprofit organization that seeded college savings accounts for kindergartners .

Commissioner of Media and Entertainment (2016 to 2019)

On February 2, 2016, Mayor de Blasio appointed Menin as Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment . The agency encompassed the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting and NYC Media, the largest municipal broadcasting entity in the country . Under her leadership, film and television production in the city reached record levels, and the entertainment sector contributed nearly $9 billion to the city's economy while employing over 130,000 New Yorkers .

Menin negotiated the deal to bring the Grammy Awards back to New York City after a 15-year absence, an arrangement that generated an estimated $200 million in economic benefit . She implemented dozens of initiatives to advance gender equity in the entertainment industry, including the creation of the city's first women's film fund, job training programs, and new women's programming on municipal television channels . She also created the Office of Nightlife and launched programs including One Book, One New York and One Film, One New York . Menin received the John Jay Award from the Columbia College Alumni Association in 2018 for her public service contributions .

Census Director (2019 to 2021)

Menin served as New York City's Census Director for the 2020 count, leading the outreach and participation effort during the COVID-19 pandemic . Under her leadership, New York City finished first among all major cities in census participation, with results capturing a gain of 629,000 residents . The successful count helped protect the city's share of more than $1.5 trillion in federal funding for schools, affordable housing, healthcare, and infrastructure . Menin also played a role in the legal fight against the Trump administration's effort to add a citizenship question to the census .

New York City Council Member (2022 to Present)

Menin won a seven-candidate Democratic primary for the open District 5 City Council seat on the Upper East Side in June 2021, earning approximately 34 percent of first-choice votes in the ranked-choice election . She defeated Republican Mark Foley in the November 2021 general election with approximately 74 percent of the vote . She was re-elected in November 2025, defeating Republican challenger Alina Bonsell .

During her first two terms on the Council, Menin chaired the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection and passed more than 17 pieces of legislation . Her legislative accomplishments included the Healthcare Accountability Act to address excessive hospital pricing, a package of childcare bills to create a citywide directory and advisory board, legislation codifying the right to reproductive health services, and a bill establishing a one-stop web portal for city business licenses .

Speaker of the New York City Council (January 2026 to Present)

Menin secured a supermajority of City Council support for the speakership on November 26, 2025, the earliest declaration of victory in the history of the speaker's race . She was unanimously elected Speaker by a 51-0 vote on January 7, 2026, becoming the first Jewish person to hold the position . She succeeded Adrienne Adams, who was term-limited .

As Speaker, Menin has led negotiations on the city's $125.8 billion fiscal year 2027 budget with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, securing $53 million for universal college savings accounts for public school kindergartners, expanded Fair Fares transit discount eligibility, and $175 million in new rental assistance funding . She appointed Miguelina Camilo as her chief of staff and named Nantasha Williams as Deputy Speaker .