New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled a novel approach to governance, introducing an "Office of Mass Engagement" that seeks to tap directly into the concerns and ideas of ordinary New Yorkers. The initiative, which kicked off on Friday, aims to establish a more inclusive and participatory form of city government.
Mamdani's office will be staffed by Tascha Van Auken, who previously managed the volunteer organization for his mayoral campaign that drew tens of thousands of volunteers and knocked on millions of doors during the election. Van Auken described her new role as streamlining community outreach efforts at City Hall, with a focus on "organizing participation at scale."
The concept is reminiscent of traditional community engagement initiatives, but Mamdani's move reflects his commitment to sustaining the energy generated by his campaign. The recent launch of a nonprofit group called Our Time, which has been advocating for Mamdani's policies, underscores his efforts to build a grassroots movement behind his administration.
During a public outreach event at the Museum of the Moving Image last month, New Yorkers were invited to meet with Mamdani one-on-one and share their thoughts on policy issues. While not all responses have been uniformly positive, Mamdani has shown a willingness to engage with criticism.
As he began his second day in office, Mamdani took to the subway to speak with commuters, including Brooklyn resident Bernard Garfinkel, who expressed skepticism about the mayor's policies. However, even Garfinkel acknowledged Mamdani's rhetorical skills and praised his ability to articulate compelling ideas – qualities that will be crucial for building support among New Yorkers if he is to succeed in implementing his agenda.
The new Office of Mass Engagement represents an effort by Mamdani to build bridges between the city's government and its residents, fostering a more collaborative relationship between elected officials and the people they serve.
Mamdani's office will be staffed by Tascha Van Auken, who previously managed the volunteer organization for his mayoral campaign that drew tens of thousands of volunteers and knocked on millions of doors during the election. Van Auken described her new role as streamlining community outreach efforts at City Hall, with a focus on "organizing participation at scale."
The concept is reminiscent of traditional community engagement initiatives, but Mamdani's move reflects his commitment to sustaining the energy generated by his campaign. The recent launch of a nonprofit group called Our Time, which has been advocating for Mamdani's policies, underscores his efforts to build a grassroots movement behind his administration.
During a public outreach event at the Museum of the Moving Image last month, New Yorkers were invited to meet with Mamdani one-on-one and share their thoughts on policy issues. While not all responses have been uniformly positive, Mamdani has shown a willingness to engage with criticism.
As he began his second day in office, Mamdani took to the subway to speak with commuters, including Brooklyn resident Bernard Garfinkel, who expressed skepticism about the mayor's policies. However, even Garfinkel acknowledged Mamdani's rhetorical skills and praised his ability to articulate compelling ideas – qualities that will be crucial for building support among New Yorkers if he is to succeed in implementing his agenda.
The new Office of Mass Engagement represents an effort by Mamdani to build bridges between the city's government and its residents, fostering a more collaborative relationship between elected officials and the people they serve.
. I mean, back in my day we used to have town halls and stuff like that. It was always cool to see politicians actually listen to what regular folks had to say. But now it seems like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is taking it to a whole new level 
. I'm not sure about the nonprofit group he's started, but if it means more people are getting involved in the decision-making process, that's gotta be a good thing 
. I just hope they don't get too caught up in all the hype and lose focus on what really matters – actually solving some of this city's problems 
. Still, it's nice to see someone trying to shake things up around here 
.
. I mean, who doesn't want to feel heard by their mayor, right? It's like, if you're not engaged in your community, you're not part of the solution, and all that. Tascha Van Auken seems like a great pick for the job too – she clearly got the whole volunteer thing down pat 
.
. I mean, we've seen this before with those community outreach programs during elections. What's gonna happen when the votes are all cast and the campaign is over? Is Tascha Van Auken just gonna collect a paycheck or what? 
. I mean, politics can get so stale sometimes and it feels like politicians just talk to each other and ignore everyone else. But this Office of Mass Engagement thing seems like a game changer – who wouldn’t want to be able to tell their mayor exactly what they think about the issues that matter most to them? And it's not just about hearing criticism either, it sounds like Tascha Van Auken is all about making sure that people's voices are heard in a real and meaningful way. I'm definitely keeping an eye on this initiative – fingers crossed it actually makes a difference 
. But what really gets me is that he's got the skills to back it up – that guy can talk like nobody's business! 
And if he can keep those community outreach events and public meetups going, I think New Yorkers are gonna be all in on his agenda 
. It's about time someone around here started listening 
. Tascha Van Auken seems super capable too, I'm curious to see how it all plays out 
. Fingers crossed this new approach actually makes a difference in making NYC more inclusive and participatory 
.
i mean, it sounds super cool that zohran mamdani wants to listen 2 ordinary new yorkers & get their input on policy stuff... but dey got a nonprofit group called our time already, right? 
and wut about all the haters? won't dem just troll dem online or show up 2 community meetups with opposing views? 
also, how much money r dey gonna spend on dis office & will it just be a fancy PR stunt? 
especially since it's trying to get ordinary new yorkers' input on policies and stuff. it's like, we need more inclusive governance, you know? the fact that tascha van auken's from a volunteer org that got a ton of people involved during the mayoral campaign is super promising 
he's not just trying to push his agenda down people's throats. but i'm curious to see how this plays out in practice - will it really be able to tap into new yorkers' concerns and ideas on a large scale? only time'll tell 
. Bernard Garfinkel might have been skeptical, but it's awesome that he can see how good Mamdani is at articulating his ideas 
. Can't wait to see if this initiative really makes a difference in NYC! 
. Meanwhile, Tascha Van Auken's volunteer org for Mamdani's campaign saw a huge turnout - 40k volunteers in one month! 
That's like, what can we learn from that? Maybe if more people feel their voices are being heard, they'll be more likely to participate in the actual governance process? 
.
.
. Mamdani's got a chance to make real change happen if he can keep this momentum going 
️ Omg u guys this NYC mayor is lowkey genius 
He's all about engagin' w/ da ppl & listenin to their concerns 
! 
. That's da kinda vibe we need in governance 
!
Mamdani takin to da subway 2 talk 2 commuters? 
. Give me the old-school way of government any day - when we have to work hard to get our voices heard, that's when we know it matters 
.
I'm def keepin an eye on this initiative & see how it plays out 
. Let's hope it works out and we see some real change in the city 
but at the same time, what are the chances that everyone will actually get heard? 
he got this amazing woman Tascha Van Auken working for him who actually knows how to get the community involved