Download Executive Order 07
OFFICE OF MASS ENGAGEMENT
WHEREAS, New Yorkers exercise their agency when they build community with their neighbors, communicate their concerns, priorities, and solutions, and together engage with local government; and
WHEREAS, when New Yorkers exercise their agency in civic life, their participation shapes meaningful outcomes, building a City that works for everyone; and
WHEREAS, currently it is too difficult for New Yorkers to exercise that agency and participate in civic life because the structures to participate in and access government services privilege those with the most time and resources, with community meetings that are hours long, applications that include confusing paperwork and means-tested programs, and community feedback that is collected in a disconnected and ad hoc manner without a centralized strategy or guarantee that the feedback will shape policy and outcomes; and
WHEREAS, this leads to New Yorkers feeling frustrated, disenchanted, and disengaged; and
WHEREAS, engagement that happens with an orientation of reaching the masses of everyday New Yorkers and creating sustainable, long-term—not transactional—relationships, and proving that participation in civic life changes policies and outcomes; and
WHEREAS, the Community Affairs Unit, which was originally established pursuant to Executive Order No. 6, dated February 8, 1978, and assumed its current name and functions pursuant to Executive Order No. 105, dated September 17, 2007, plays a central role in facilitating communication and engagement between City government and New York City residents; and
WHEREAS, the City of New York has several offices and entities responsible for public, civic, and community engagement; and
WHEREAS, the Community Affairs Unit, the Civic Engagement Commission, the Public Engagement Unit, and NYC Service are currently overseen by the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement, as led by the Chief Engagement Officer; and
WHEREAS, to ensure that the City’s several public engagement entities are well-coordinated, the Community Affairs Unit, the Public Engagement Unit, the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, and NYC Service should report to a single, unified leadership structure;
NOW, THEREFORE, by the power vested in me as Mayor of the City of New York, it is hereby ordered that:
Section 1. Establishment of the Office of Mass Engagement. The Community Affairs Unit, established within the Office of the Mayor, is hereby continued and renamed the Office of Mass Engagement (“OME”). The Office of Mass Engagement shall be led by a Commissioner to be appointed by the Mayor.
§ 2. Coordination of Entities Responsible for Public or Civic Engagement. The Public Engagement Unit, the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic & Community Media, the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, NYC Service, and any additional entity identified by the Mayor, including but not limited to certain affinity group advisory boards, shall report to the Office to the extent permitted by law. OME shall maintain liaison with and review the activities of the Civic Engagement Commission.
§ 3. Discontinuation of the Office of Civic Engagement. The Office of Civic Engagement and the position of Chief Engagement Officer shall be discontinued. Any additional appropriate actions to be taken in furtherance of the discontinuation set forth in this section, including but not limited to the transfer of any employees from the Office of Civic Engagement into the Office of Mass Engagement, shall be taken as soon as practicable after the promulgation of this order. All references to the Community Affairs Unit or the Office of Civic Engagement in Executive Order No. 2, dated January 1, 2026, shall be deemed to refer to the Office of Mass Engagement established pursuant to this Order.
§ 4. Duties of the Office. The Office of Mass Engagement shall organize New Yorkers to take an active role in securing a government that works for all New Yorkers, and shall serve the following duties, responsibilities, or functions:
a. Lead mass engagement campaigns to organize New Yorkers to participate in their City government;
b. Establish and maintain easily accessible venues for New Yorkers to provide feedback to the City, including by creating open, inspiring engagement spaces;
c. Conduct outreach to communities and individuals who have not historically participated in government decision-making, enabling them to share their thoughts and to help build a New York City that reflects their priorities and needs;
d. Work across agencies and City Hall to integrate public feedback into policymaking, including by establishing and maintaining strong feedback loops between constituents and City policies, programs, and services;
e. Work in cooperation with the Civic Engagement Commission as appropriate to further the CEC’s Charter obligation to enhance civic participation in order to enhance civic trust and strengthen democracy in New York City;
f. Partner with agencies to support the development of high-quality public engagement materials and effective delivery of government services;
g. Continue to assume any function served by the CAU prior to the effective date of this Order, including but not limited to any such function assigned by executive order or directive; and
h. Any other duty, responsibility, or function assigned by the Mayor.
§ 5. Community Boards. The Office of Mass Engagement shall be responsible for coordinating the activities of City agencies with respect to the implementation and operation of the provisions of the Charter of the City of New York concerning community boards, district service cabinets, district managers, co-terminality and decentralization including, but not limited to, responsibility for:
a. Assisting the Office of Management and Budget in coordinating (1) the implementation and operation of the provisions of the Charter concerning community board participation in the budget process in accordance with Sections 100, 230 and 238 of the Charter and (ii) agency service statements for community districts in accordance with and to the extent required by Section 2707 of the Charter;
b. Maintaining a continuous liaison with community boards, district service cabinets, district managers, borough boards and service cabinets, City officials and agencies in order (i) to bring to the attention of the Mayor and other appropriate City officials significant problems arising in connection with the activities or operations of such organizations and to propose solutions to such problems, (ii) to foster a cooperative and effective working relationship between City officials and community boards and district managers , and (iii) to ensure that significant Mayoral initiatives and programs are communicated to community boards and communities; and
c. Providing training and technical assistance for implementation of the appropriate Charter provisions to community boards, district service cabinets, district managers and City agencies.
§ 6. All mayoral agencies shall cooperate with the Office in the performance of its duties.
§ 7. Executive Order No. 105, dated September 17, 2007, is hereby REVOKED, except that the responsibility for exercising all functions, powers and duties regarding street activity permits shall continue to be undertaken by the Coordinator of Citywide Special Events and Permitted Activities, as established by Executive Order No. 100 of 2007, and the staff of the Street Activity Permit Office shall be housed within the Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management headed by such Coordinator. The Coordinator shall undertake all appropriate rulemaking to conform the provisions of Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Rules of the City of New York with this Order.
§ 8. This Order shall take effect immediately.
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Zohran Kwame Mamdani
Mayor
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