Who

As first deputy mayor, Harris is Mayor Bloomberg's second in command. She runs this city whenever Bloomberg skips town for a quickie vacation.

Backstory

The daughter of a social worker and an Alfred Dunhill exec, Manhattan-bred Harris passed through Fieldston (where she was the mascot for the boys' softball team) and Franklin & Marshall, then joined the Koch administration in 1978, eventually becoming director of the city's art commission. Following a stint in corporate PR at Rogers & Cowan, she spent seven years at Bloomberg L.P. as head of corporate communications and director of philanthropy. When Bloomberg was first elected mayor in 2001, he brought Harris along with him and made her his deputy mayor for administration. After his reelection in 2005, he promoted her to first deputy mayor, the highest position in his cabinet.

Of note

Harris is Bloomberg's closest advisor and confidante, and nothing gets done at City Hall without her having a say. Her primary responsibility is to make sure the mayor gets his way, whether he's fighting for his preferred plan for the World Trade Center memorial, trying to implement a ban on smoking in bars, or jawboning the Central Park Conservancy to accept Christo's "Gates" in the park. But despite her much-vaunted ability to pressure and persuade, she's also Bloomberg's unofficial goodwill ambassador, calling and thanking other politicians, business leaders and anyone else who furthers the Bloomberg agenda. And when Bloomberg skips town for one of his frequent long weekends at his homes in Bermuda, London, or Vail, it's Patti he leaves in charge.

It's expected that Harris will sign on to help Bloomberg with his philanthropic activities after he leaves office. It promises to be a pretty grueling job: he's made clear his intention to give away all of his money before he dies.

On the job

Harris isn't just close to Bloomberg metaphorically; she's literally within inches of him most of the time—she sits directly across from him in his so-called bullpen at City Hall. Fellow mayoral insiders Kevin Sheekey and Ed Skyler sit a few feet away.

Keeping score

Harris made $217,659 as deputy mayor in 2007.

Personal

An amateur photographer and scuba diver in her spare time, Harris is married to Mark Lebow, a lawyer who also serves as vice chair of New York City Transit. They live at 1067 Fifth Avenue with their children, Jeffrey and Alexandra. Harris is step-mom to Lebow's son from his first marriage, Michael.