Jul 6, 2023

Why we’re fascinated: Because as one of first openly gay Black women on the City Council — and one of 20 members of its progressive caucus — Hudson is unapologetic in her quest “to actually serve the people with the greatest needs,” she told us earlier in the year. Having cared for her mother who had Alzheimer’s at the end of her life, Hudson ran for office in 2021 on a platform that tackled issues around affordable housing, education, criminal justice reform, and especially elder care. She’s held the mayor’s feet to the fire on proposed budget cuts and, as of this writing, five of the 10 bills she proposed in her Age In Place NYC package passed before she reached her 18 month mark.

—Brian Braiker