In 1984, de Blasio worked for the Urban Fellows Program at the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice.^[26][27] In 1987, shortly after completing graduate school at Columbia, de Blasio was hired to work as a political organizer by the Quixote Center in Maryland. In 1988, he traveled with the Quixote Center to Nicaragua for 10 days to help distribute food and medicine during the Nicaraguan Revolution. De Blasio was an ardent supporter of the ruling socialistgovernment, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, which was opposed by the Reagan administration at the time.^[27] After returning from Nicaragua, de Blasio moved to New York City, where he worked for a nonprofit organization focused on improving health care in Central America.^[27] He continued to support the Sandinistas in his spare time and joined a group called the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, which held meetings and fundraisers for the Sandinista political party.^[27]De Blasio’s introduction to city politics came in 1989, when he worked as a volunteer coordinator for David Dinkins‘ mayoral campaign.^[28] Following the campaign, de Blasio was an aide in City Hall.^[29][28] In 1990, he described himself as an advocate for democratic socialism when asked about his goals for society.^[27]

U.S. Representative Charles Rangel tapped de Blasio to be his campaign manager for his successful 1994 reelection bid.^[30] In 1997, he was appointed to serve as the regional director for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for New York and New Jersey under the administration of President Bill Clinton. As the tri-state region’s highest-ranking HUD official, de Blasio led a small executive staff and took part in outreach to residents of substandard housing.^[31][32] In 1999, he was elected to be a school board member for Brooklyn School District 15.^[33]The following year, he served as campaign manager for Hillary Clinton‘s successful United States Senate bid.

De Blasio and his wife, activist and poet Chirlane McCray, met while both were working for Mayor Dinkins’ administration and married in 1994.^[194] The couple honeymooned in Cuba in violation of a U.S. travel ban.^[195] They lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn, before moving into Gracie Mansion,^[196] the traditional residence of New York City mayors. They have two children: Dante, a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School who graduated from Yale University in 2019,^[197] and Chiara, a student at Santa Clara University in California.^{[63][194][198]} Chiara addressed her drug use and depression in late December 2013, in a four-minute video the mayor’s transition team released.^[199]

At 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), de Blasio is the tallest mayor in New York City’s history.^[200]

De Blasio, an Italian American, regularly conducts interviews, press conferences, and speeches in Italian.^{[201][202][203]}

Despite being mayor of New York, de Blasio is a passionate fan of the New York Yankees‘ archrivals, having said he has a “deep devotion” to the Boston Red Sox.^[204

Bill de Blasio
— Read on en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_de_Blasio