Mamdani announces new Office of Mass Engagement, says he needed a ‘clean slate’ to govern New York City
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday his first executive order as mayor was meant to draw a line after former Mayor Eric Adams was indicted while also launching a new City Hall office aimed at changing how the public is involved in decision-making.
"In the first executive order, you, as the new mayor of a city, have to sign a continuation of all prior executive orders or a revocation or an amendment of all of them," Mamdani said during a question-and-answer session focused on what he called the city’s revived Office of Mass Engagement.
Mamdani said his administration chose to continue the executive orders that came before Adams’ 2024 indictment on federal corruption charges, which were later dropped by the Justice Department and dismissed by a federal judge in April.
"And, so, what we did was to sign an executive order that continued every executive order that predated the moment when our former mayor was indicted," Mamdani said, calling it "a moment when many New Yorkers lost even more faith in New York City politics and the ability of city government to actually prioritize the needs of the public, as opposed to the needs of the person."
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"And what we will now do is showcase that new era to protect each and every New Yorker and to deliver for those same New Yorkers in a manner that they have not seen under prior administrations," he added.
The executive order revoked or required reissuance of mayoral directives issued after Sept. 26, 2024, giving the Mamdani administration control over which policies would carry forward.
Mamdani made the remarks as he described the purpose of a new Office of Mass Engagement, which he said is intended to bring together civic outreach work already happening across city government.
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Mamdani said the new Office of Mass Engagement will be led by Tascha Van Auken, an organizer whose background includes national Democratic campaigns and New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
"Since President Obama’s first campaign in 2008 to her leadership in New York City DSA, Tascha has spent more than a decade organizing at scale," Mamdani said.
Mamdani credited Van Auken with building the volunteer operation behind his mayoral campaign, saying she mobilized more than 100,000 volunteers who knocked on more than 3 million doors across the city.
"The work of civic engagement has existed before today. It has been a part of city government," Mamdani said. "However, it has often been siloed in different parts of city government infrastructure, sometimes under different offices, sometimes through different initiatives.
"Part of the intent of this executive order is not just to create a new Office of Mass Engagement, but also to cohere all of the work that is already being done into one place so that we can ensure that it’s not duplicative, and it’s actually fulfilling its intent."
Mamdani said he wants the new office to change when public engagement happens in the policy process.
"Oftentimes, the outreach and engagement of city government is done with an intention to justify a decision that’s already been taken," he said. "The point of this office is, however, to make decisions with a large part being what the public actually thinks about those decisions."
Asked about budget and staffing, Mamdani said the office will initially draw from existing city employees.
"There are a number of employees within this office that are already working for the city, within previously existing offices. And then the specifics of how it will expand beyond that is something that we will be sharing later," he said.
Mamdani rejected the idea that the office was built around re-election politics, saying it is aimed at "delivering for New Yorkers today, delivering for New Yorkers every single day. ... We have an opportunity in this moment where New Yorkers are allowing themselves to believe in the possibility of city government once again. That is not a belief that will sustain itself in the absence of action," Mamdani said.
Mamdani also pointed to another appointment announcement, saying the engagement office aligns with his decision to name Ali Najimy to lead recruitment and outreach for the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.
"Too often, the ability for a New Yorker to become a judge has been determined by who they know, as opposed to the work that they do," Mamdani said, adding that the goal is to ensure the judicial system reflects the city and "a commitment to excellence and an application of the law in a universal manner."
Najimy said the position would expand recruitment citywide and shape criminal and family court appointments, saying that candidates should be evaluated "on the merits of their experience, their qualifications, their commitment to public service."
Mamdani said he does not want the new office judged by activity alone.
"We should not be measured on the number of meetings we hold or the number of surveys that are filled out," he said. "We should, in fact, be measured by the way in which we incorporate that feedback into the decisions that we make.
Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional comment.