Mamdani Creates Office of Mass Engagement, Says First Executive Order Gives City a 'Clean Slate'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that his first executive order as mayor was intended to draw a clear line from the turmoil surrounding his predecessor and to create a new City Hall office to reshape how residents are included in policymaking.

"In the first executive order, you, as the new mayor of a city, have to sign a continuation of all prior executive orders or a revocation or an amendment of all of them," Mamdani said during a question-and-answer session about the city's revived Office of Mass Engagement.

The administration opted to continue executive orders that predated former Mayor Eric Adams' 2024 indictment on federal corruption charges — charges that the Justice Department later dropped and that were dismissed by a federal judge in April. The order revoked or required reissuance of mayoral directives issued after Sept. 26, 2024, giving Mamdani's team authority to decide which post‑September directives would remain in force.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signs executive orders with campaign volunteers during an appearance at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Office of Mass Engagement

Mamdani described the Office of Mass Engagement as a central hub to consolidate civic outreach currently scattered across city agencies. He named Tascha Van Auken, an organizer with experience on national Democratic campaigns and leadership roles in New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), to lead the office.

"Since President Obama’s first campaign in 2008 to her leadership in New York City DSA, Tascha has spent more than a decade organizing at scale," Mamdani said, crediting Van Auken with mobilizing more than 100,000 volunteers who knocked on over 3 million doors during his campaign.

Mamdani said the new office will push public engagement earlier in the policy process so that community input helps shape decisions rather than merely justify choices already made. The office will initially draw staff from existing city employees across agencies; specifics about expansion, budget and hiring will be shared later.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses the crowd during his inauguration outside of City Hall on Thursday.

Judicial Recruitment And Transparency

As part of a broader effort to increase transparency and broaden access to public roles, Mamdani also named Ali Najimy to lead recruitment and outreach for the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. Najimy said the position will expand sourcing of candidates citywide and ensure appointments to criminal and family courts are evaluated on merit, qualifications and public-service commitment.

Mamdani rejected suggestions that the new office is primarily a re-election tool, emphasizing it is meant to deliver measurable results for New Yorkers. "We should not be measured on the number of meetings we hold or the number of surveys that are filled out," he said. "We should be measured by the way in which we incorporate that feedback into the decisions that we make."

Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.