
Council Member Julie Menin represents New York City Council District 5, covering the East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island. An attorney, civic leader, three time City Commissioner, and former small business owner, Julie has over two decades of experience in the public and private sectors. She currently serves as the Chair of the City Council Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection. Julie previously served as Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs and Commissioner of Media and Entertainment. She also served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University. Julie most recently served as the City’s Census Director, successfully advocating against the Trump Administration's efforts to add a citizenship question and achieving a historic result by finishing first among all major cities. Because of this effort, New York City will be receiving its fair share over the next decade of over $1.5 trillion in federal funding for public schools, affordable housing, healthcare, infrastructure, and other vital programs.
Julie has over two decades of experience in the public and private sectors as an attorney and a civic leader. Most recently, she served as the City’s Census Director, during which time NYC had the highest response rate of any major city. She has also served as Commissioner of Media and Entertainment and Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs. While leading Consumer Affairs, she spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives, including the implementation of New York City’s Paid Sick Leave Law and the founding of a universal citywide initiative to seed every kindergartener with a college-savings account. She previously served as a Columbia adjunct professor, teaching on city and state government, preemption, and home rule.
Council District Five includes the Manhattan neighborhoods of the Upper East Side, East Harlem, Yorkville, Midtown East, Carnegie Hill, Sutton Place, Roosevelt Island, and Lenox Hill.