A new office inside City Hall is happening not with ribbon cuttings or public fanfare, but through job listings that hint at a different way of governing. Behind the bureaucratic language is a plan to build something more grassroots, a structured system designed to connect everyday New Yorkers directly with policy, campaigns, and civic action.
A new kind of city hall workforce
The administration is looking to hire 14 people for what it calls the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement for Zohran Mamdani. On paper, the goal is really clear that is to bring more residents into the process of governing. In practice, the structure looks different from traditional city roles.
The positions range from campaign directors to borough-level staff and community liaisons. Altogether, they form a network meant to organise events, coordinate outreach, and build participation across neighbourhoods.
The office will be led by Tascha Van Auken, a longtime ally of the mayor, who previously worked as his field director. Her role, like the office itself, centers on designing how the city interacts with its residents at scale.
Co-governance as the core idea
Staff will be responsible for building systems that encourage residents to join town halls, trainings, canvassing efforts, and other civic activities. The idea is to move beyond one-way communication and instead create ongoing collaboration between government and the public.
One role, deputy director of co-governance, will focus specifically on training both city agencies and communities to work together. The language used in the postings emphasises “transforming relationships with the community” and helping residents “engage and drive mass governance projects and campaigns.”
Familiar language, new setting
Some of the terminology and structure resemble organising strategies typically seen in political campaigns rather than government offices. That overlap has not gone unnoticed. “The Soviet politburo called, they want their job announcement back,” one Democratic strategist asked as reported by The New York post. Another told the publication, “I’m old enough to remember when the mayor’s office didn’t need co-governance with anyone.”
Even the campaign director role, with a salary between $140,000 and $150,000 raised questions because of how closely it mirrors traditional campaign work.
“Why doesn’t the mayor just call it the ‘Director of Re-Election Political Get Out of the Vote Using Government Money’ and just get it over with?” another Dem operative asked as reported by The New York Post.
Roles that stretch beyond tradition
Beyond organising and outreach, some positions come with responsibilities that extend into operational territory.
Borough managers, for example, may represent City Hall during emergencies such as fires, blackouts, or major incidents affecting residents. This adds a layer of public-facing responsibility that blends coordination, communication, and crisis response.
Still, critics argue that many of these functions already exist within city agencies.
“There are already people overseeing city services throughout the five boroughs: they’re called commissioners and deputy commissioners,” said Democratic strategist Ken Frydman to The New York Post.
“Why would a ‘campaigns director’ be on the city payroll, paid for by taxpayers? Mamdani should pay the ‘campaigns director’ from his own campaign funds.”
Supporters of the model see it as an evolution in how cities operate, one that treats residents not just as voters or service recipients, but as active participants in shaping policy.
The office is described as being “responsible for strategizing, coordinating, and executing on engagement that reaches the masses of everyday New Yorkers.”