New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has turned to a Syracuse native more than twice his age to fill the role of his top deputy.

Dean Fuleihan , 74, will serve as first deputy mayor and will be responsible for overseeing the operations of city government, Mamdani said Monday.

Fuleihan served in the same role in the administration of former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, where he worked from 2013 to 2021 after a career in state government in Albany.

Fuleihan spent 33 years working in the state Assembly. He was a longtime aide to former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and served as the Assembly’s top budget negotiator. He retired from that job in 2011 .

Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist, was elected Tuesday to serve as New York City’s next mayor. He is the first Muslim and

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