Every level, one question: who chose them?
The leaders
No one in this tree reports upward. The Mayor does not answer to the Governor, and the Governor does not answer to the President; each answers to the voters who chose them. The lines that do exist are appointments: who picks whom. Follow the lines.
The top of every chain
You, the voter
Every elected name below holds their job because voters gave it to them, and loses it the same way.
Elections are the only reporting line in American government.
Federal · executive
President Donald Trump
Elected nationally. Appoints agency heads and federal judges; the Senate confirms them.
Chosen by national election
Congress is not below the President; it is the co-equal branch you elect directly.
Federal · legislature
Congress
Your 2 senators (statewide) and your House member (your district). Confirms the President’s appointees; writes the laws.
Chosen by your vote, directly
State · executive
Governor Kathy Hochul
Elected statewide. Signed 879 bills and vetoed 141 this session. Appoints state agency heads and a majority of the MTA board.
Chosen by statewide election
The MTA answers to Albany, not City Hall.
State · legislature
The Legislature
Your state senator and assembly member. Can override a veto with two-thirds of both chambers.
Chosen by your district’s vote
City · executive
Mayor Zohran Mamdani
Elected citywide. Appoints the commissioners of every city agency: police, buildings, health, sanitation. Signs or vetoes Council bills.
Chosen by citywide election
City agencies answer to the Mayor; their commissioners are appointed, not elected.
City · legislature
The Council, led by Speaker Julie Menin
51 members, each elected by one district. The members choose the Speaker from among themselves; the Speaker controls what reaches a vote. Overrides vetoes with 34 votes.
Julie Menin Speaker, chosen by the 51
Tap any member for their record, money, and lobbying.
City · independently elected
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams · Comptroller Mark Levine
Neither works for the Mayor. The Comptroller audits the Mayor’s agencies; the Public Advocate is first in line if the Mayor cannot serve.
Chosen by citywide election
Borough · elected county officials
5 Borough Presidents · 5 District Attorneys
Each elected only by their borough. The DA prosecutes crime and answers to no mayor or governor. The Borough President advises on land use and appoints community board members.
Brad Hoylman-Sigal BP, Manhattan
Vanessa Gibson BP, Bronx
Donovan Richards BP, Queens
Antonio Reynoso BP, Brooklyn
Vito Fossella BP, Staten Island
Your block · appointed
59 community boards
The one unelected tier: members are appointed by the Borough President, half on the recommendation of Council members. Advisory votes on liquor licenses, zoning, and street changes.
Chosen by the Borough President + Council members
Coverage coming; the appointment chain is the accountability line.
Officeholders verified against official records (2026-07-08): the Speaker’s election from the Council’s own announcement, the Governor’s name from her signed veto messages in our records, city and borough officials from official directories. District Attorneys: Alvin Bragg (Manhattan), Darcel Clark (Bronx), Melinda Katz (Queens), Eric Gonzalez (Brooklyn), Michael McMahon (Staten Island).