Around $5.2 million is set aside for what some are calling the “inflated salaries” of intelligence officers working under Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s team in New York. A recent report from a major publication highlighted this issue quite critically.
The report emphasized that this figure is “a staggering 175% higher than initially expected.”
Details from the article noted:
After just one month of operations, the Office of Public Engagement has expanded its staff dramatically, increasing from 14 to 40 employees, with salaries totaling $5,123,756 as indicated in the city’s latest budget plan for 2027.
This amount surpasses the total budget for other city agencies, including the Board of Corrections and the Office of Persons with Disabilities.
The article pointed out that in March, the agency created over a dozen new positions, amounting to approximately $1.6 million funded by taxpayers, with $150,000 earmarked for a campaign director, whose role seems quite similar to that of a political operative.
According to the budget details, Mamdani intends to bring on 26 more staff members by next year, offering an average salary of $125,000, along with an extra $30,000 for other expenses as noted in the report.
“This is purely political at a time when there’s a serious need for real services,” remarked Hank Sheinkoff, a Democratic political consultant. “We’re facing a real budget deficit, yet this mayor is spending $5 million to employ 40 political operatives. It’s morally baffling… Honestly, it’s outrageous.”
He further mentioned: “This doesn’t serve anyone’s interests except for the mayor’s.”
The stated aim of this office is to engage New Yorkers in policy-making processes. However, detractors have likened this approach to old Soviet politics, suggesting that it misuses taxpayer money to silence dissent against governmental policies.
Moreover, members of the Office of Mass Engagement have been assimilated into the Mayor’s communication team, with expectations that it will grow larger than any previous mayoral office in the city’s history, as described by sources.
Mamdani’s proposed budget for the Mayor’s Office in 2027 stands at $51.8 million, which marks a $7 million increase from the budget set by former Mayor Eric Adams last year.
