Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a “Commission on Government Efficiency” Thursday — but it’s got nothing to do with cutting waste and fraud despite its DOGE-like name.
Mamdani said COGE — unlike the federal Department of Government Efficiency previously led by billionaire Elon Musk for the Trump administration — will focus on “unlocking the full potential of city government,” instead of trimming the fat.
“What we are speaking about is a sincere fulfillment of a vision that ensures that city government is operating with the same level of focus that a working-class New Yorker is when they’re trying to balance their belts,” Hizzoner told reporters in Queens.
“And that means looking at the processes we have, that means looking at the procedures of city government, and that means looking at anything we can do to deliver a more efficient and more excellent government.”
The new commission — chaired by longtime ally of ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio and Mamdani adviser Patrick Gaspard — will be tasked with proposing ballot measures to voters that have the vague directive of “improving efficiency” and “modernizing city government.”
“The Commission on Government Efficiency will take a hard look at how city government functions and identify the reforms we need to deliver faster, smarter and more effectively for working people,” Mamdani said.
Ann Cheng, another de Blasio administration alum, who also served under former Mayor Eric Adams, will serve as executive director.
The panel’s creation comes with the democratic socialist putting the kibosh on one of his predecessor’s pet projects, Adams’ so-called zombie “charter revision commission,” which lived on into Mamdani’s tenure.
Mamdani had been openly critical of Adams’ commission, which was tasked with advancing proposals on the November ballot — including about whether New York City should adopt an open primary system, and also regarding ways to combat antisemitism and other hate crimes.
Political insiders believe open primaries would make narrow the chances of another far-left pol like Mamdani getting elected, as it would expand the voter base outside party lines, to independent voters, who tend to skew more moderate.
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State Democrats, as part of New York’s new budget, gave Mamdani the power to kill his predecessor’s attempt to makes changes to the city charter after leaving office.
Good government group Citizens Union slammed Mamdani for rushing his own charter review commission.
“The charter commission announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani intends to focus on a set of important and timely reforms, but if it seeks to put charter reform questions before voters in November, it will have less time to seek public input, conduct research, and deliberate than even the highly criticized, rushed commission established by Eric Adams in 2024,” the group said.
“While promoting government efficiency is a laudable goal, the commission must show that its efforts do not come at the expense of careful research, public engagement, and transparency, which New Yorkers deserve.”
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Mamdani defended the panel’s obscure mandate, and took a shot at DOGE when pressed by reporters.
“It’s just the name and what it should have been, you know. I think government efficiency—these are words that somehow have been understood as if they are Republican priorities, when in fact they are the priorities of anyone who believes in the public sector,” he said. “And yet Elon Musk took that language and used it to cut as many jobs that were as critical as possible for so many of the neediest people across the country and across the world.”
Notable members of the board are Mamdani union confidante Henry Garrido, the head of DC37, and the mayor’s business leader whisperer Kathy Wylde, who just recently stepped down as CEO of Partnership for New York.
