American civil servant Dean Fuleihan, born on January 27, 1951, served as New York City’s First Deputy Mayor from 2018 to 2021. He was the main fiscal and policy advisor to the New York State Assembly for more than 30 years before becoming the budget director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget.
In addition, he served as SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering’s vice president. Fuleihan was named Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s First Deputy Mayor on November 10, 2025.
Early Life and Education
Fuleihan studied public finance at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Alfred University.
Personal Life
Fuleihan has Lebanese heritage.
Career
In 1978, Fuleihan started working in the New York State Assembly as a policy analyst. Later, he worked as a budget analyst and became the “budget guru” of longtime Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was in charge of negotiating the $130 billion budget for New York State.
After leaving the Assembly in 2011, Fuleihan became an executive vice president at the SUNY Polytechnic College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.
Roles of the New York City Government
Bill de Blasio named Fuleihan the Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget following his win in the 2013 mayoral race.
His first significant duty was to negotiate labor contracts that Michael Bloomberg’s previous government had allowed to expire for years.
The budget for New York City increased from $72 billion to $85 billion under de Blasio and Fuleihan.
First Deputy Mayor of New York City
Anthony Shorris, the first deputy mayor, resigned in November 2017. Fuleihan accepted De Blasio’s offer and was appointed First Deputy Mayor in January 2018.
Melanie Hartzog took over as Director of the Office of Management and Budget after him.
Later Roles
Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Fuleihan to the New York State Financial Control Board in June 2024.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani declared on November 10, 2025, that he would once more designate Fuleihan as his First Deputy Mayor.
