American politician Bill de Blasio, previously Warren Wilhelm Jr., presided over New York City as mayor from 2014 to 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party and served as the Public Advocate of New York City from 2010 to 2013.
De Blasio began his career as a political organizer for the Quixote Center in Maryland and afterward worked for the Urban Fellows Program at the Department of Juvenile Justice in New York City.
He went to Nicaragua in 1988 to help with the distribution of food and medication during the Nicaraguan Revolution, where he backed the Sandinista National Liberation Front, the country’s socialist administration.
De Blasio joined the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York after moving back to New York City, where he worked for a foundation aimed at enhancing healthcare in Central America and attended events and fundraisers for the Sandinista political party.
As his passion for politics expanded, De Blasio started working as a volunteer coordinator for David Dinkins’ mayoral campaign in 1989.
Afterward, he worked as a City Hall assistant before being chosen to lead the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) division for New York and New Jersey during President Bill Clinton’s presidency.
De Blasio oversaw a small executive team as the highest-ranking HUD representative in the three-state area and engaged in outreach to tenants in subpar housing.
What is Bill de Blasio doing now?
Due to term restrictions, De Blasio was not eligible to compete for a third term as mayor of New York City in the 2021 election. On January 1, 2022, Eric Adams took over as mayor in his place. But on May 20, 2022, De Blasio declared his candidacy for the 10th congressional district in the 2022 U.S. House election.