Emergency Alert!
Taxpayers are being asked to provide $5.2 million to cover the excessive salary of the information minister in the propaganda bureau set up by socialist Mayor Zoran Mamdani, according to the Post.
Despite the city being operational for just a month, recent figures for 2027 show that the Office of Mass Cooperation has expanded its workforce by 186%, growing from 14 employees to 40. This office has been allocated $5,123,756 for payroll, as outlined in the executive budget.
This sum surpasses the total budgets of several city agencies, including the Board of Corrections, the Community Affairs Division, and the Office of Persons with Disabilities.
The Post highlighted back in March that the agency had begun recruiting for 14 high-paying positions, amounting to about $1.6 million of taxpayer money, including a cushy $150,000 role for an election director that mimicked duties typically associated with campaign staff.
Mamdani intends to add 26 more staff members next year, with an average salary of $125,000, according to budget details.
New documents have revealed that an additional $30,000 is earmarked for non-payroll expenses.
“This is pure politics, especially when we need real services,” remarked Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. “We’re facing a serious deficit, yet this mayor is spending $5 million on 40 political operatives. It’s morally incomprehensible… It’s outrageous.”
“This benefits no one but the mayor,” he added.
While the office claims its aim is to engage New Yorkers in the policymaking process, critics have characterized it as reminiscent of Soviet-era tactics—using taxpayer money to suppress opposition.
The specific roles for the 40 new hires are not detailed in the budget proposal. However, among those already hired are Commissioner Tasha Van Auken, previously Mamdani’s campaign field director, and Mohamed Alharbi, deputy borough president of Queens.
Mamdani established this government agency on his second day in office.
The Office of Mass Engagement oversees the mayor’s communications team, which is expected to be unprecedented in size for any previous administration in the city.
The mayor’s office budget for 2027 is set at $51.8 million, reflecting a $7 million increase from the prior year’s budget under former Mayor Eric Adams.
When announcing the new office, Mamdani claimed it would engage marginalized communities in city governance. Yet, it seems more focused on the affluent, predominantly white Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) base that supported his election.
Recently, the Post observed several workers in the Lower East Side encouraging residents to attend Rent Guidelines Committee hearings prior to a June vote on a rent freeze that Mamdani has been advocating. This decision will impact around 2 million residents living in rent-stabilized apartments.
This initiative is part of “Organize NYC,” the agency’s first mission, which involves recruiting volunteers and engaging in door-to-door outreach, using strategies similar to those that contributed to his electoral success.
Since early May, these workers have been holding rallies across the Bronx, Queens, Lower Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, and parts of Brooklyn, though Staten Island has seen no such activities. However, a spokesperson assured the Post that representation for the city’s only Republican stronghold will be established.
Previous roles at the bureau have included a deputy director for co-governance at $150,000, with the job description closely mirroring that of DSA co-chair Grace Moser’s recent manifesto, which talked about “Building Municipal Socialism in New York with DSA.”
The creation of this office has also drawn comparisons to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who produced over 250 promotional videos in his initial two years.
Officials from City Hall told the Post that they are also reaching out to landlord advocacy groups to participate in the hearings, clarifying that City Hall is not pushing for a specific outcome.
“Every New Yorker should have a say in the future of their city,” remarked Penelope Birnbaum.
