By City & State | July 25, 2021

Over the past decade, the Bronx appeared to have turned a corner. Unlike the bad old days when it was left to burn by city bureaucracy, the Bronx is now the fastest growing borough in New York City – with a growth rate nearly unmatched in cities around the country. It has become an appealing destination for real estate developers as well, with investment in commercial and housing projects bolstering the local economy. And the borough’s leading politicians are among the most influential in city, state and federal government. Headline writers rolled out “The Bronx is booming” so often it became a cliché. 

Unfortunately, however, the Bronx is still struggling with widespread unemployment – which hit 25% during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. As the borough slowly climbs out of that hole, it’ll look to a new generation of leaders – a new borough president, a new Democratic Party chair, new lawmakers at the city and state level – to navigate a path forward. City & State’s Bronx Power 100 – researched and written in partnership with journalist Joe Konig – recognizes the many local leaders, both in and out of government, who are getting the borough back to the boom times.

Philip Ozuah / Serge Neville

President and CEO, Montefiore Medicine

Dr. Philip Ozuah took charge of the Bronx’s largest health care provider and one of its largest employers just months before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in New York. One of the top hospital executives in the city, Ozuah oversaw Montefiore Health System’s 13 hospitals and 300 clinics through surging patients, PPE shortages and an increasingly confrontational nurses union. After George Floyd was killed, Ozuah penned an op-ed in The New York Times and appeared on the TODAY Show to discuss dual deadly pandemics: COVID-19 and racism