Zohran Mamdani<\/strong>, the mayor-elect of New York City, is reportedly considering Steven Banks<\/strong>, a former de Blasio administration official<\/strong>, for the role of corporation counsel<\/strong>, the city\u2019s top lawyer, sources told The Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Banks, a self-described social justice attorney<\/strong>, served as the commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS)<\/strong> under former Mayor Bill de Blasio<\/strong>, managing a budget of $12 billion<\/strong> and overseeing 16,000 employees. As DSS commissioner, he was responsible for the city\u2019s welfare programs and homelessness services, the largest of its kind in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insiders<\/strong> say that Banks has become the front-runner<\/strong> for the role, though the appointment is not yet finalized. One source said, \u201cMamdani is being pushed to make him corp counsel.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Banks, a Legal Aid Society veteran<\/strong>, is known for his advocacy in pushing the city\u2019s \u201cright to shelter\u201d<\/strong> law, a controversial policy that guarantees shelter for homeless people. His tenure as DSS commissioner was also marked by financial scandals<\/strong> and criticism over the conditions of homeless shelters contracted by the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year, Banks stepped down as special counsel<\/strong> at the prestigious law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison<\/strong>, and currently lists himself as a \u201cpublic interest social justice attorney\u201d<\/strong> on his LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Mamdani\u2019s transition team has declined to comment on the possible appointment, insiders say that appointing Banks would be in line with Mamdani\u2019s approach of bringing experienced government veterans<\/strong> into his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the latest in a series of moves by Mamdani, who has already appointed Dean Fuleihan<\/strong>, a former de Blasio budget director, as his first deputy mayor<\/strong>. Mamdani\u2019s team also includes several veterans from previous mayoral administrations<\/strong>, underscoring his commitment to continuity and experienced leadership<\/strong> in New York City government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The former homeless services commissioner could be appointed as corporation counsel, leading the city\u2019s Law Department in Mamdani\u2019s administration. Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, is reportedly considering Steven Banks, a former de Blasio administration official, for the role of corporation counsel, the city\u2019s top lawyer, sources told The Post. Banks, a self-described […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[191,63],"class_list":["post-2596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s","tag-mamdani","tag-u-s"],"yoast_head":"\n