Appointment of New Chief Capital Officer Raises Questions
On Thursday, Mayor Zoran Mamdani appointed Afua Atta Mensah as the city’s new “chief capital officer.” However, just before the announcement, her social media account was deleted, coincidentally following scrutiny of other appointees’ online presences.
City Hall asserted that the new aides were not pressured to erase their social media, despite the timing of Atta Mensah’s account deactivation.
Mamdani remarked that, “Afua Atta-Mensah has dedicated her career to serving New Yorkers who are often forgotten in the halls of power. There is no one more trustworthy to advance racial equity through the work of City Hall than me.”
Atta Mensah, who focused on engaging black voters during Mamdani’s campaign, will now head the Office of Equity and Racial Justice. Her role involves promoting racial equity throughout the city’s government.
However, questions have arisen regarding the vetting process for Mamdani’s appointments. A previous candidate for the city’s appointments chief, Catherine Almonte da Costa, was forced to resign after anti-Semitic social media posts were revealed, highlighting potential lapses in oversight.
Mamdani acknowledged the need for improvements to the review process following this incident.
The newly appointed head of the Tenant Protection Bureau, Shea Weaver, has also attracted controversy due to her extreme views on homeownership, including asserting that property ownership may be seen as a “weapon of white supremacy” and advocating for government seizure of private property.
Despite these controversies, Mamdani has continued to support Weaver.
It’s unclear when Atta Mensah’s account was deactivated, although it had been active just a week prior. A spokesperson from the mayor’s office indicated that there is no formal policy requiring new appointees to remove their social media presence.
Before her recent appointment, Atta Mensah served as program director at Community Change, an organization aimed at empowering low-income individuals, particularly minorities, in political and economic spheres. Her background also includes work with Community Voices Heard and the Urban Justice Center.
Expressing her enthusiasm for the new role, Atta Mensah stated, “I am honored by this appointment and stand ready to demand justice and accountability across the city on behalf of all New Yorkers. As the mayor has made clear, this administration is committed to doing big things and doing them boldly.”
