Mayor Zohran Mamdani is introducing a scaled-down iteration of his eagerly anticipated “Department of Community Safety.” This version will commence operations with just a pair of employees and a budget allocation of $260 million.
Previously, Mamdani had committed to establishing a department with a substantial $1.1 billion in funding, aimed at deploying social workers to address non-violent 911 incidents in place of the NYPD.
However, on Thursday, he plans to present the new “Mayor’s Office of Community Safety,” a much more modest effort than initially projected, sparking immediate scrutiny and skepticism.
Former city comptroller and prior mayoral contender Scott Stringer expressed his concerns on X, likening it to “Thrive 2.0,” a reference to de Blasio’s controversial $1 billion mental health initiative.
Stringer questioned, “How can you proceed without a spending plan for $250 million? No staff? Had this been announced during the campaign, it could have cost him the election.”
The New York Times broke the story about the new mayor’s office, noting Mamdani’s plan to establish it via an executive order. To fulfill his original promise of creating a full-fledged department, he would have required approval from the City Council, headed by the more centrist Speaker Julie Menin.
Sources told The Post that City Hall shifted strategy weeks ago, mulling creating a “deputy mayor” role rather than a Department of Community Safety.
