NEW YORK – Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday nominated transportation policy expert Midori Valdivia to serve as chair and commissioner of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, elevating a longtime agency veteran and regional transportation leader to oversee one of the city’s most visible regulatory bodies.
Valdivia, currently a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, has held senior roles at the TLC, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the MTA. If confirmed by the City Council, she would lead the agency that licenses and regulates more than 200,000 drivers who collectively complete about 1 million trips each day.
The nomination underscores Mamdani’s political focus on taxi drivers and other working-class New Yorkers. Before becoming mayor, Mamdani gained citywide attention as a state assemblymember when he joined a 15-day hunger strike in 2021 alongside members of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, pressing for debt relief for drivers burdened by medallion loans. That effort resulted in a debt relief program aimed at drivers affected by predatory lending.
“From City Hall, we will deliver meaningful change in the lives of the working people too often forgotten by our politics,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That champion is Midori Valdivia, who I am so proud to nominate today to be the commissioner and chair of the TLC.”
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Valdivia is widely recognized for her work on worker-centered transportation policies. Her résumé includes helping implement the first wage standards for service workers at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and contributing to the TLC’s first-in-the-nation driver pay study. She previously served as the agency’s deputy commissioner for finance and administration.
Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su said Valdivia’s appointment would strengthen coordination across city agencies. “New Yorkers deserve safe, reliable, affordable transportation where those who drive for a living are treated with dignity and respect,” Su said.
Valdivia called the nomination “an incredible honor” and said she looked forward to the City Council’s consideration. “I am committed to delivering for drivers, passengers, and New Yorkers across the city,” she said.
Labor and transportation advocates praised the nomination. Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said Mamdani was “delivering on his commitment to uplifting the 180,000 New Yorkers who earn their living as TLC-licensed drivers” by nominating a leader who prioritizes workers.
Meera Joshi, a former TLC chair and former deputy mayor for operations, said Valdivia’s experience would be critical as the for-hire vehicle industry continues to evolve. Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, also cited Valdivia’s “strong track record as a problem solver and transportation expert.”
Valdivia serves on the boards of the Regional Plan Association and the Shared-Use Mobility Center and is a trustee of the Transit Center. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs and urban and regional planning from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
The TLC was created in 1971. Its chair serves as both the head of the agency and the chair of its nine-member board, with commissioners subject to City Council advice and consent.