Bill de Blasio

From his early days as a young City Hall staffer, to serving on his local school board, City Council, and as Public Advocate for the City of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio has spent his life fighting to ensure that every New Yorker — in every neighborhood throughout the five boroughs — gets a fair shot.

After graduating with a B.A. in Metropolitan Studies from NYU, de Blasio studied at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, earning an M.A. in International Affairs. He began his career in public service as a junior staffer for New York City’s first African-American mayor, David N. Dinkins, and later became an assistant for community affairs at City Hall.

In 1997, de Blasio moved to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, working as Regional Director under then-Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, as New York and New Jersey’s highest-ranking official in the department. At HUD, he crisscrossed the Tri-State region, gaining a critical understanding of the diverse communities that make up the New York metropolitan area. As regional director, de Blasio fought for increased federal funding for affordable homes and expanded housing services for senior citizens.

In 1999, de Blasio joined District 15’s School Board in Brooklyn, where he championed early childhood education and parental involvement and expanded pre-K programs, helping his district become the first to cap first grade class sizes.

In 2000, Hillary Clinton asked de Blasio to manage her historic campaign for the U.S. Senate. Working at the head of a vast grassroots operation, he helped re-introduce Mrs. Clinton to New Yorkers and deliver her message about prioritizing children and families, securing her a decisive victory in a highly competitive campaign.

Two years later, de Blasio started his service on the New York City Council, representing the diverse Brooklyn neighborhoods of Park Slope, Sunset Park, Boro Park, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Windsor Terrace, Red Hook, and Kensington.

In his eight years on the City Council, de Blasio focused his efforts on improving public education, engaging parents, expanding affordable housing, and protecting New York’s middle-class and working poor. He wrote landmark tenants’ rights legislation to protect affordable housing and end landlord discrimination for everyday New Yorkers. De Blasio also was a vocal advocate for services designed to support fragile families and vulnerable children.

In 2010, de Blasio was sworn in as New York City Public Advocate, the second-highest citywide elected office. As Public Advocate, de Blasio launched the “NYC Worst Landlords Watchlist” to publicly identify landlords who took advantage of everyday New Yorkers, pressing them to improve building maintenance and upkeep. de Blasio made his voice heard across the city as a forceful advocate for stronger representation and services for the millions of workers who are the foundation of New York City’s economy.

de Blasio served as Public Advocate for the City of New York from 2010 to 2013, where he stopped thousands of teacher layoffs, saved good neighborhood schools, fought for fair compensation for first responders, debuted the city’s “Worst Landlords Watchlist” and advocated on behalf of New York City’s most vulnerable children.

During his two terms as mayor, de Blasio created universal pre-K for all 70,000 four-year-olds in New York City, expanded the paid sick leave law to cover thousands more workers, and raised the minimum wage for all City employees and contractors. He ended the era of stop and frisk, pursued reforms to bring the NYPD and the communities they serve closer together, and drove crime to record-low levels.

de Blasio also expanded the number of affordable apartments and took on the landlord lobby. Under his watch, rents were frozen for two years straight. He led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, turning it into one of the safest cities during the crisis, launched NYC CARE in 2019 to guarantee healthcare for every New Yorker, and introduced “The Journey Home” plan to end long-term homelessness.

Currently, de Blasio is a visiting fellow at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he teaches a graduate course and engages with students, faculty, and alumni. He was also a visiting fellow at The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.