New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday established the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement, a new City Hall office designed to transform how New Yorkers engage with their government.
The office will strategize, coordinate and engage everyday New Yorker to build long-term participation on a variety of issues, the mayor said. Tascha Van Auken will lead the OME as commissioner.
“For too long, city government has only listened to the wealthy and well-connected while working New Yorkers remain further and further disconnected from those elected to serve them," the mayor said in a statement. "The Office of Mass Engagement will fundamentally change this, creating a deeper connection between City Hall and community organizations, faith-based groups, and everyday New Yorkers looking to make their voices heard."
The Office of Mass Engagement will:
- Lead mass engagement campaigns that organize New Yorkers to participate in city decision-making;
- Create and maintain accessible, inspiring channels and events for residents to share feedback with government;
- Proactively reach communities that have historically been excluded from policymaking;
- Embed public feedback directly into city policies, programs, and services through strong, transparent feedback loops and support agencies in delivering high-quality engagement and more effective public services.
Under the Executive Order the mayor signed to create the office, the OME will oversee the Public Engagement Unit, the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships and NYC Service.
Van Auken is a veteran grassroots organizer who previously served as campaign manager for State Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, and as Deputy Campaigns Director for the Working Families Party. On the Mamdani campaign, she led the highest voter turnout in a New York City mayoral race since 1969, with more than 2 million New Yorkers casting ballots — nearly double the turnout of the previous mayoral election and approaching presidential-level participation across neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.
