Amanda Farías is a second-generation Afro-Latina of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, raised in Soundview and shaped by New York City’s public schools and community institutions. She attended P.S. 69X and Holy Cross School and spent her formative years engaged in after-school and summer programming at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. She is a graduate of Preston High School and St. John’s University, where she earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Government and Politics—an academic foundation that launched her lifelong commitment to public service, civic engagement, and community empowerment.

Farías served as Majority Leader of the New York City Council from January 2024-January 2025, and is currently in her second and final term as Council Member for the 18th District. She represents the neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Clason Point, Harding Park, Parkchester, Unionport, Soundview, and Westchester Square.

First elected to the City Council in 2021 and re-elected in November 2023, Farías was appointed Majority Leader by Speaker Adrienne E. Adams in January 2024. Her appointment marked a historic milestone: Farías became the first Latina to serve as Majority Leader, during the first time the Council’s top leadership positions were all held by women—each a woman of color. During her tenure, she focused on advancing the Council’s collective democratic priorities while centering the needs of working-class communities across New York City.

Council Member Farías currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity, following four years as Chair of the Committee on Economic Development. During her tenure leading Economic Development, she made history as the first woman, Bronxite, and Latinx person to hold the role and advanced significant legislation to establish a citywide plan for industrial development, codify the NYC ferry discount program, provide discounted ferry fares for high school students, and more to strengthen equitable economic policy across New York City.

Farías has exercised the Council’s oversight authority by convening several of the City’s first legislative hearings on emerging and complex policy areas, including the adult-use cannabis industry, public heliports, and the procurement of small businesses in migrant shelter food contracts. Through this work, she has strengthened transparency, established a formal public record, and helped shape policy discussions with direct implications for Black, Latino, AAPI, and working-class communities across New York City.

In addition to her committee and oversight work, Farías has played a key role in shaping the Council’s legislative and fiscal priorities. She has served as a member of the Budget Negotiation Team and as Co-Chair of the largest Women’s Caucus in the history of the New York City Council. Through these roles, she helped secure more than $34.5 million in capital and expense funding for Council District 18 within her first two years in office.

From 2022 to 2024, Farías served as Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus as part of the first women-majority Council, helping advance and pass comprehensive legislative packages addressing critical health and wellness needs, including the Support Survivors package, the Universal Childcare package, the NYC Abortion Rights Act, and the Menstrual Equity package. She continues this work as Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity and as a member of the Commission on Gender Equity, focusing on improving quality of life for women, trans women, and gender non-conforming New Yorkers.

During the height of the pandemic Farías became active in mutual aid and as Council Member she has continued to keep the fight against food insecurity as a top priority in her office. Farías has continuously supported local pantries, community gardens, hosts several food distributions a year, and more through her office budget. She also spearheaded an initiative to distribute over $50,000 in Health Bucks at the local farmers market for people to buy fresh produce. Through this initiative her office personally helped over 1,000 people put healthy food on the table for their families for free.  

Council Member Farías’ extensive experience includes working for the New York City Council from 2013 to 2017 in several different capacities, including as Director of Special Projects, managing the Women’s Caucus, a district wide Participatory Budgeting process and councilmanic budget and legislative priorities. After her time in the Council, Farías joined The Consortium for Worker Education as an Assistant Director in 2017 to manage workforce development programming in the Bronx, where she was a proud rank-and-file member of Teamsters Local 210. There, she developed a deep respect for the city’s workforce and the essential role they play in keeping New York strong and thriving.

Farías’ programming and partnerships with CUNY, labor unions, and local community-based organizations allowed her to create new opportunities for young Bronxites to access upward economic mobility. During this time she also served as the New York State Coordinator for New American Leaders and as the Co-Founder of Women of Color for Progress. Through her work with these organizations, Farías created a pipeline for more women, immigrants, and people of color to be elected to office through increased civic engagement and opportunities in electoral politics.