Mamdani Expected to Name Government Vet Anthony Shorris to Lead EDC

Mamdani Expected to Name Government Vet Anthony Shorris to Lead EDC By Amanda Schiavo July 22, 2026 10:15 am reprintsNew York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to name Anthony Shorris, a former first deputy mayor in the Bill de Blasio administration, to lead the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Several reports suggest that the announcement could come Wednesday, as the mayor looks to fill a seat that has been vacant for several months. Shorris and the EDC did not immediately respond to Commercial Observer’s requests for comment. Shorris, who is currently a partner with global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, is a government veteran, having served as the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as well as deputy chancellor of the New York City public school system, in addition to his role with the de Blasio administration. “This will be the person I turn to to run the day-to-day operations of government,” de Blasio once said of Shorris. Shorris’s possible appointment to the top seat at the EDC might be the mayor’s way of appeasing the city’s business leaders, according to The New York Times — which reports having spoken with several sources close to the hiring conversations. When Mandani took office there were concerns he would interfere with the EDC’s efforts to incentivize private capital investment needed to bring more housing to the city and make critical infrastructure improvements. When Mamdani, a staunch democratic socialist, took office at the start of this year, he circulated a memo calling for an overhaul of the EDC in an effort to focus on better-quality affordable housing and job creation, according to the Times. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.