Brian Lairn on WNYC.

With us now, we're very happy to have the incoming first deputy mayor of New York City,

Dean Fullahan, who mayor-elect Mamdani named this week to be in that second-in-command

leadership role. Interestingly, Fullahan is not new to the position. He held the same job,

first deputy mayor, for former Mayor de Blasio from 2018 to 2021, but maybe even more relevant to

Mayor-elect Mamdani's potential success as Fulahan's

experience earlier in the de Blasio administration and in the New York State Assembly.

He was de Blasio's first budget director and helped make de Blasio's top campaign promise a reality

back in 2014.

That was free universal pre-K for the New York

City public schools, funded largely by the state, and without the tax hike to pay for it,

that de Blasio had originally sought. Now, Mom Donnie, as many of you know, is aiming to build on

that with his own signature proposal,

free universal child care for kids aged six months to five years.

And once again, a tax hike on the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay for it is part of at least

the initial proposal.

And by the way, Dean Fullerhan was just appointed last year by Governor Hockel to the New York State Financial Control Board.

Again, very relevant to managing both the city and the state's finances under the law while trying to achieve some policy goals.

Let's talk.

Mr. Follahann, I'll call you Deputy Mayor, Follahann.

Thanks for some time, just as you're getting ready for the big job

ahead. Welcome to WNYC. Thank you, Brian, very much. It's really a pleasure to be with you.

...