Ex-Census czar Menin kicks off City Council run

She has the distinction of having served in both the Bloomberg and de Blasio administrations, oversaw a widely applauded effort to boost this year’s Census turnout and once owned a Downtown restaurant. Now Julie Menin has her eye on the City Council.

“I want to be deeply involved in moving the city forward,” she told the Daily News on Tuesday as she kicked off her campaign for an Upper East Side Council seat. “The unique experience that I have ... is exactly the kind of experience that you need in the Council.”

Last month, Menin left the de Blasio administration, where she was the Census czar. She organized outreach efforts that helped improve the city’s response rate over that of the 2010 Census.

Prior to that, she headed the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment under de Blasio.

Many other de Blasio alums have gone on to shred their former boss. Menin (photo) voiced subdued criticism, noting she was the only high-ranking official who publicly disagreed with de Blasio’s decision to impose a curfew during heated anti-police-brutality protests over the summer.

Asked for her assessment of the de Blasio administration, she said Tuesday, “There were certainly issues in terms of communicating a lot of the work of the administration.” Menin said she also opposed his controversial city budget that passed over the summer.

Two other ex-de Blasio bigs — former legal aide Maya Wiley and former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia — are now running for mayor.

Menin’s resume, which includes a stint as former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s redistricting commissioner, dwarfs that of the average first-time Council candidate.

“It is up to cities — and specifically, the City Council — to take the lead on legislative ways to move this city forward, whether it be issues of small businesses, job growth, education, affordable housing,” she said.

“That’s why I’m very interested in the City Council,” added Menin, who emphasized she was a third-generation Yorkville resident and noted she opened lower Manhattan’s Vine restaurant, which is now closed.

Her campaign kick-off featured big endorsers, including the United Federation of Teachers, Teamsters Local 237, former Gov. David Patterson and numerous elected officials.

At least six other candidates are running for the 5th District seat, currently held by term-limited Councilman Ben Kallos, in the June 2021 primaries.