Bronx Democratic City Council Member Amanda Farías (C.D. 18) has been appointed as NYC Council majority leader, effective Jan.3. Farias, who represents the neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Clason Point, Harding Park, Parkchester, Unionport, Shorehaven, and Soundview, said she was excited for the new role, and thanked City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams for what she described as “the enormous trust” Adams had placed in her. The Bronx city councilwoman is preceded by Manhattan Democratic City Councilman Keith Powers (C.D. 4).

 

“In my first two years, we have passed legislation and secured historic investments that advanced a vision of inclusion and strong representation that resonates with my neighbors in District 18, and so many more communities,” Farias said. “I am confident that in this new position, I will be able to deliver tangible results for my constituents, colleagues, and all New Yorkers alike as we work to strengthen the City we all love.”

 

She added, “I have every confidence this historic, diverse, and entirely female leadership team, under the leadership of Speaker Adams, will keep our commitment to all New Yorkers, further the fight for economic justice for all, and lift up the voices of those who have been marginalized by our society.”

 

Elected to the City Council in District 18 in 2021, Farías is chair of the Committee on Economic Development and co-chair of the Women’s Caucus. According to her biography, she is the first women, Bronxite, and Latinx person to serve as chair of the Committee on Economic Development. As chair, she said she hosted the City’s first legislative hearings on the emerging, adult-use, cannabis industry, the NYC ferry system, and worked to ensure that economic recovery [post-pandemic] was focused on equity and prioritizes Black and Brown communities.

 

According to her biography, as co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, in the first women-majority city council, several bill packages have been passed addressing issues relating to women’s health and wellness, including the Support Survivors package, the Universal Childcare package, and the NYC Abortion Rights Act. Farías said she continues to work “to create holistic improvements to the quality of life of women, trans women, and gender non-conforming people across the City.”

 

The new majority leader is a lifelong Bronxite, born and raised in Soundview as a second-generation Afro-Latina of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. She said she is a proud product of local schools and community institutions having grown up attending P.S. 69X and the Holy Cross School, and having spent after-school hours and summers at the local Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

 

Farias is a graduate of Preston High School and St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Arts in government and politics, and Master of Arts in public administration. She said this was where her passion for community service, activism, and empowerment began.

The new council majority leader’s experience includes working for the New York City Council from 2013 to 2017 in several different capacities, including as director of special projects, managing the Women’s Caucus, and a districtwide Participatory Budgeting process. After her time in the council, Farías joined The Consortium for Worker Education as an assistant director in 2017, to manage workforce development programming in The Bronx. She said her programming and partnerships with CUNY, labor unions, and local community-based organizations have allowed her to create new opportunities for young Bronxites to access upward economic mobility.

 

During this time, Farías also served as the New York State coordinator for New American Leaders and as the co-founder of Women of Color for Progress. Through her work with these organizations, Farías said she created a pipeline for more women to be elected to office through increased civic engagement and opportunities in electoral politics.

 

During the height of the pandemic, Farías said she became active in mutual aid and added that she feels most in her element when in community. She said that hosting food distributions for neighbors has been at “the core of her service to continue the fight against food insecurity and The Bronx being the unhealthiest county in New York State.”

 

Farías has been recognized by City and State’s “Power 100: Women,” “Power 100: Economic Development”, “Power 100: The Bronx”, and PoliticsNY “Power Players Rising.”

 

The city council minority leader from Staten Island, Council Member Joe Borelli (C.D. 51), leads the six Republican council members, including newly elected representative for much of the East Bronx, Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato.

 

Reacting to the news, John Doyle, district leader in the 82nd Assembly District, Part B, in The Bronx, said of Farías, “Congrats to one of the hardest working elected officials in New York!”