New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has appointed former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to lead the board of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. This brings a prominent antitrust advocate into a key economic role as the mayor pursues an affordability-focused agenda.
Khan, who served as FTC chair under former President Joe Biden, is known for her efforts to strengthen competition, challenge corporate consolidation and address concerns over the influence of powerful companies on consumers and workers.
She is also an associate professor of law at Columbia Law School and challenged several major mergers during her tenure at the federal agency.
READ: Former FTC Chair Lina Khan: Critic of Amazon and Meta, joins Mamdani team (March 31, 2026)
Anthony Shorris, a former senior New York City government official and partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, was separately named president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the city’s official economic development agency.
The appointments come as Mamdani seeks to reshape the city’s approach to economic development around affordability and economic opportunity.
The mayor’s administration is also facing a legal challenge over a rent freeze approved last month by the city’s Rent Guidelines Board.
A group of New York City landlords filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to block the rent freeze, arguing that Mamdani improperly influenced the board by appointing members who were loyal to his administration. The board failed to adequately consider rising costs faced by property owners.
The Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-1 in late June to freeze rents for approximately 1 million rent-regulated apartments. The decision prevents rent increases on one-year and two-year leases beginning in October.
The rent freeze was a major campaign promise for Mamdani, who has made housing affordability a central focus of his administration.
Mamdani’s office has defended the board’s independence and said it is confident that the board considered all relevant data before reaching its decision. The administration has also said it is prepared to defend the board’s decision in court.
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The legal challenge represents an early test for Mamdani’s housing agenda, particularly as his administration seeks to balance tenant affordability with concerns from landlords over operating costs and the financial viability of rent-regulated properties.
Khan’s appointment, meanwhile, signals a potentially significant shift in the city’s economic development strategy. Her record on antitrust enforcement and corporate competition could influence how the city approaches development, business incentives and economic policy under Mamdani.
The appointments and the rent-freeze lawsuit highlight the competing economic pressures facing the new administration as it seeks to advance policies to make New York more affordable while maintaining investment and development in the nation’s largest city.