Why New York City taxpayers are paying $5.2 million for Mamdani’s new mass engagement office; row explains

An additional $30,000 has been earmarked for non-personnel costs.

To put the numbers in perspective, the office’s salary budget is higher than the combined budgets of several city agencies, including the Board of Corrections, the Community Affairs Unit and the Office of Persons with Disabilities.

The New York Post reported in March that the office had begun hiring for 14 positions at a cost of about $1.6 million. taxpayer money. One of the positions is campaign director, with a salary of $150,000. Mamdani currently plans to hire 26 more employees by next year, with an average salary of $125,000, according to budget details.

Critics were quick to speak out. Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf told new york post: “This is pure politics at a time when real services are needed. We have a real deficit and this mayor is spending $5 million to provide salaries for 40 political operatives. It’s morally incomprehensible… It’s an outrage.” He added, “This is not for anyone’s benefit but the mayor’s.”

The office’s current employees include Mamdani’s former campaign field director Commissioner Tasha Van Auken and Queens Deputy Borough President Mohamed Alhabi, the New York Post reported.

The report also said Mamdani has earmarked $51.8 million for the mayor’s office through 2027, which is $7 million more than former Mayor Eric Adams’ budget last year.

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The office’s first project, “Organizing New York City,” involved recruiting volunteers and going door-to-door in parts of the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, the New York Post reported. Critics have also raised concerns because the outreach effort comes ahead of a vote on a possible rent freeze, a major campaign promise by Mamdani.

Critics also pointed to a $150,000-a-year associate director of shared governance whose job posting contained language nearly identical to the DSA’s manifesto calling for municipal socialism in New York City.

A City Hall spokesperson told The Washington Post that the office has also been in contact with landlord groups and will not be pushing for any specific policy outcomes. “Every New Yorker deserves a say in the future of their city,” spokesperson Penelope Birnbaum said.

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Mamdani announced the new office at a press conference in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza in January 2026, describing it as a “fundamental component of the city government’s commitment to the massive rebuilding of social infrastructure.”

“The Office of Mass Participation will organize engagement across the city, proactively reach out to those who have been excluded and ensure public feedback is directly incorporated into the way we design policies, deliver services and make decisions,” Mamdani said at the time. cbs news.