Zohran Mamdani's allies have formed a new nonprofit organization called Our Time, with the goal of harnessing the grassroots energy from his successful mayoral campaign. The group plans to conduct door-knocking efforts in support of universal child care and lobby state lawmakers on various issues. Our Time aims to be more transparent than other organizations by publishing donor information online.
The use of nonprofits to support mayoral issues is not new in New York City, but the structure of Our Time has raised concerns among some good government groups. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's nonprofit, the Mayor's Fund, was criticized for its role in promoting public-private partnerships, similar to Mamdani's campaign strategy.
Organizers say they are studying previous efforts to avoid pitfalls and plan to conduct fundraising and lobbying activities separately from Mamdani's administration. However, some watchdog groups, like Reinvent Albany, have expressed caution about the potential for "pay-to-play" in Our Time's operations.
The new group is led by Jeremy Freeman, a former neuroscientist who helped build data tools used by Mamdani's campaign. He has stated that Our Time will prioritize transparency and not accept donations from entities with business before the city. The group aims to recruit 15,000 volunteers for a trip to Albany and plan a series of actions in the coming months.
The line between Our Time and Mamdani's campaign is already blurred, with the nonprofit evoking similar branding and featuring donors like Lina Khan, co-chair of Mamdani's transition committee. While some have praised the effort to keep supporters engaged, others have raised concerns about the potential for outside influence in New York City politics.
The use of nonprofits to support mayoral issues is not new in New York City, but the structure of Our Time has raised concerns among some good government groups. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's nonprofit, the Mayor's Fund, was criticized for its role in promoting public-private partnerships, similar to Mamdani's campaign strategy.
Organizers say they are studying previous efforts to avoid pitfalls and plan to conduct fundraising and lobbying activities separately from Mamdani's administration. However, some watchdog groups, like Reinvent Albany, have expressed caution about the potential for "pay-to-play" in Our Time's operations.
The new group is led by Jeremy Freeman, a former neuroscientist who helped build data tools used by Mamdani's campaign. He has stated that Our Time will prioritize transparency and not accept donations from entities with business before the city. The group aims to recruit 15,000 volunteers for a trip to Albany and plan a series of actions in the coming months.
The line between Our Time and Mamdani's campaign is already blurred, with the nonprofit evoking similar branding and featuring donors like Lina Khan, co-chair of Mamdani's transition committee. While some have praised the effort to keep supporters engaged, others have raised concerns about the potential for outside influence in New York City politics.
our time sounds legit, especially if they r transparent abt their donors 
lina khan is like the queen of NYC poli, nice to see her get involved in the community 
but yea, gotta be careful not 2 let big interests influence the city's decisions 
and other social issues... but at the same time, there's some major red flags with the potential for "pay-to-play" 
I mean, on one hand, it's awesome that people are super passionate about Mamdani's campaign and want to keep the momentum going, especially when it comes to issues like universal childcare 
. But on the other hand, there are some major concerns here. Like, how transparent can you really be if the lines between your organization and the mayor's campaign are already so blurred? 
If Our Time is going to be super transparent, that means they'll have to turn down all those big donors who are gonna try to buy influence. But what if some of those donors are also Mamdani's biggest supporters? 
How can you separate the wheat from the chaff without getting caught up in all the politics?
Published donor info online is a big win 
. But, let's keep an eye on the "pay-to-play" concerns 
. However, when you have watchdog groups raising "pay-to-play" concerns, it's hard not to wonder if there might be some strings attached 
Let's hope they can avoid those pitfalls and create something truly grassroots! 
! creating a nonprofit to support universal child care is such a great way to bring people together and make a real difference in our community 
. i'm glad to see Our Time being super transparent about their donors too, that's so important for building trust with the public 
. According to a recent analysis by @NYCData, 70% of donations from major donors like Lina Khan are coming from big corporations 
. I'd love to see more data on their lobbying efforts 
. I guess only time will tell if they can balance being grassroots with not getting too cozy with power 
I don't know if I trust them to stay separate from Mamdani's admin. And can we talk about how the branding is so similar? 
But hey, maybe they'll surprise us and prove everyone wrong 
...
i mean yes some watchdog groups are worried about "pay-to-play" but i trust them to do the right thing 
. Lina Khan is like a legend co-chairing Mamdani's transition committee too 
. this is what i love about NYC politics, everyone gets involved and tries to make a difference 
. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly and their efforts bring about some real progress