Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new Office of Mass Engagement (OME) came under the City Council’s microscope on Tuesday after his budget director said the office would have a $53 million budget — prompting lawmakers to ask how the outreach operation is funded and what safeguards are in place to prevent taxpayer-funded civic engagement from crossing into political work.
Budget Director Sherif Soliman disclosed the figure during the Council’s executive budget hearing, saying the Office of Mass Engagement’s total budget includes $2.8 million in new funding for staff in fiscal year 2027 and the outyears. The added funding would support 20 new staff lines, he said.
