Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio on Wednesday rolled out his pick for budget director: Dean Fuleihan, a former longtime top fiscal and policy advisor to state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
“During the hardest of times, when we had a Republican governor and state Senate determined to leave New York City’s most vulnerable to fend for themselves, Dean Fuleihan stood his ground,” de Blasio — who made the announcement at CUNY City Tech in Brooklyn — said in a prepped statement.
“Dean is a true progressive who understands not only our limits, but our possibilities. He will ensure our priorities live up to both our responsibilities and our values.”
Fuleihan is another familiar face in a small but growing lineup of top de Blasio advisors. That group already includes the return of former NYPD Commissioner
and new roles for two other prior administration members,
and
.
Update:
One obvious question, to circle back very quickly… Whether getting an Albany pro like Fuleihan on board will help de Blasio shepherd his hopes of raising taxes on the the wealthy through a State Cap that may not be thrilled about doing it in an election year. (Silver and a number of others put out very sunny responses to the Fuleihan pick, by the way.)
Asked about the prognosis for de Blasio’s plan Wednesday, Fuleihan — h/t our Jen Fermino — responded, “I think its chances are excellent. We’ve seen New York City mayors in the past put forward progressive proposals, proposals that are needed by the population in New York.
“This is a tremendously popular proposal. I think its chances are exceptional. It will be part of how we put together this overall plan, and this overall policy agenda.”
Earlier:
Said Fuleihan (
pictured
), via de Blasio’s office: “While our city faces a daunting fiscal landscape, we can create a budget that is deeply committed to our priorities. We are going to confront inequality with critical investments in CUNY and other engines for the middle class. We are going to put new energy behind affordable housing and early education. This will be a fair, responsible and progressive budget that takes economic inequality in our city head-on.”
Here’s his official bio, via the de Blasio transition team. More to follow…
Dean Fuleihan is a fiscal expert with a demonstrated record of moving large budgets from conception to passage.
Over a 33-year career, Fuleihan served as the principal fiscal and policy advisor to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Assembly leadership, and the Majority Conference. He was the Assembly’s principal staff negotiator on the $130 billion state budget. In that capacity, he engaged annually with senior staff to the governor and the State Senate to reach agreements to fund the operations of New York’s massive state government.
Fuleihan helped oversee operations of 37 Assembly committees, offered policy and fiscal review on legislation, and provided forecasts of the economy and state revenues. During his years in government, Fuleihan was widely respected on both sides of the aisle, even by his counterparts in budget negotiations that could be contentious.
After departing the Assembly, Fuleihan joined the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, a college which has undertaken rapid expansion and is having a significant impact on innovative research and economic development across upstate New York. Building upon decades of experience in the legislature, Fuleihan has been at the forefront of groundbreaking partnerships to bolster upstate New York’s growing technology sector.
IMAGE: ASSEMBLY.STATE.NY.US
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