Wednesday was the first day on the job for 21 of the 51 members of the New York City Council. Their first order of business was no easy task: electing a new Speaker.

The official vote was in the Council chambers, however, there has been intense politicking for weeks. County leaders and Mayor Bill de Blasio have tried to sway the members to back their preferred candidate. The pressure gave some of the freshman Council members—many of whom have never held political office before—a first taste of New York City politics.