New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) announced the appointment of a new commission Thursday focused on improving the effectiveness of the city\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
The newly unveiled Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE) drew immediate comparisons to the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) championed by President Trump and Elon Musk, which cut hundreds of thousands of federal jobs in the name of reducing government spending.<\/p>\n
Mamdani refuted any connection between the two during a Thursday press conference<\/a> on housing, telling reporters, \u201cIt\u2019s just the name and what it [DOGE] should have been.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGovernment 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,\u201d Mamdani told reporters. \u201cAnd 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.<\/p>\n \u201cOurs is going to be a focus on actually delivering efficiency,\u201d the mayor continued. \u201cNot as a byword for cutting services, but actually a sincere commitment to efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n The commission will review the New York City Charter, gather public input and issue proposals to amend the document, according to an announcement<\/a> from the New York mayor\u2019s office Thursday.<\/p>\n Mamdani said in a statement in the Thursday release that COGE will \u201ctake a hard look\u201d at how the city government runs and work to make it operate \u201cmore effectively for the working people.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor was asked by a reporter Thursday if his administration anticipates a legal challenge to the commission.<\/p>\n \u201cIn New York City you can always expect a legal response, but I\u2019m confident both in the decision that we\u2019ve made and the legal team around us,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n Mamdani has tapped Patrick Gaspard, a Democratic strategist and former president of progressive think tank Center for American Progress, to lead the commission. Ann Cheng, a former director for the New York State Executive Chamber, will serve as executive director of the new project.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask city agencies to do so much, with such difficult constraints,\u201d Cheng wrote in a social media post<\/a> Thursday. \u201cTo have the chance to structurally change some of those constraints to allow city workers to do what they need to do is a total dream!\u201d<\/p>\n The commission will hold its first public meeting June 4 and its first public hearing will be held on June 9.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n