NYC Mayor Mamdani signs executive order, creates Office of Mass Engagement

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that his first executive order as mayor aims to draw a line under the indictment of former Mayor Eric Adams, while also launching a new office at City Hall aimed at changing how the public is involved in decision-making.

“In the first executive order, you, as the new mayor of a city, must sign an extension of all previous executive orders or a revocation or amendment of each of them,” Mamdani said during a question-and-answer session focused on what he called the city’s revived Office of Mass Engagement.

Mamdani said his administration chose to uphold executive orders that preceded Adams’ 2024 indictment on federal corruption charges, which were later dropped by the Justice Department and thrown out by a federal judge in April.

“And so what we did was sign an executive order that extended all of the executive orders prior to the time our former mayor was indicted,” Mamdani said, calling it “a moment where many New Yorkers lost even more faith in New York City politics and in the ability of city government to prioritize the needs of the public, as opposed to the needs of the individual.”

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signs executive orders with campaign volunteers during an appearance at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn on Friday in New York. The newly inaugurated mayor revoked a number of executive orders issued by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, including some related to Israel. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“And what we’re going to do now is showcase this new era of protecting every New Yorker and delivering for those same New Yorkers in a way that they’ve never seen under previous administrations,” he added.

The executive order revoked or required the reissuance of mayoral directives issued after September 26, 2024, giving the Mamdani administration control over which policies would be implemented.

Mamdani made the remarks while describing the goal of a new Office of Mass Engagement, which he said is intended to bring together the civic outreach work already underway within city government.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signs executive orders with campaign volunteers during an appearance at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Mamdani said the new Office of Mass Engagement will be led by Tascha Van Auken, an organizer whose experience includes national Democratic campaigns and New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

“Since President Obama’s first campaign in 2008 to become head of New York’s DSA, Tascha has spent more than a decade organizing at scale,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani credited Van Auken with building the volunteer operation behind her mayoral campaign, saying she mobilized more than 100,000 volunteers who knocked on more than 3 million doors across the city.

“Civic engagement work existed before today. It was part of city government,” Mamdani said. “However, this has often been siled in different parts of the municipal government infrastructure, sometimes under different offices, sometimes across different initiatives.

“Part of the intent of this executive order is not only to create a new Office of Mass Engagement, but also to consolidate all the work already done in one place so that we can ensure that there is no duplication and that it actually serves its purpose.”

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New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses the crowd during his inauguration outside City Hall on Thursday. (Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Mamdani said he wants the new office to change when public engagement happens in the political process.

“Oftentimes the outreach and engagement of municipal government is intended to justify a decision that has already been made,” he said. “The purpose of this office, however, is to make decisions, much of which depends on what the public actually thinks about those decisions.”

Asked about the budget and staffing, Mamdani said the office would initially rely on existing municipal employees.

“There are a number of employees within that office who already work for the city, in already existing offices. And then the details of how it will expand beyond that is something we will share later,” he said.

Mamdani rejected the notion that the office was built around reelection politics, saying it aims to “deliver results for New Yorkers today, results for New Yorkers every day.” … We have an opportunity right now where New Yorkers allow themselves to believe again in the possibility of municipal government. This is not a belief that will continue in the absence of action,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani also highlighted another appointment announcement, saying the engagement office aligns with its decision to appoint Ali Najimy to lead recruitment and outreach for the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.

“Too often, a New Yorker’s ability to become a judge is determined by their knowledge, as opposed to the work they do,” Mamdani said, adding that the goal is to ensure the justice system reflects the city and “a commitment to excellence and universal application of the law.”

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Najimy said the position would expand citywide recruiting and shape criminal and family court appointments, saying candidates should be evaluated “on the merits of their experience, their qualifications, their commitment to public service.”

Mamdani said he did not want the new office to be judged solely on its activities.

“We shouldn’t measure ourselves by the number of meetings we hold or the number of surveys completed,” he said. “In fact, we should be measured by how well we incorporate that feedback into the decisions we make.

Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.