City's $1.6 million ballot-question ads draw Council criticism a day before a hearing on government ad spending

The city is spending about $1.6 million in public money on a "Vote on Faster Government" campaign for the five City Charter questions on the Nov. 3 ballot, the New York Post reported on Saturday. The campaign includes social media videos, one of them showing Mayor Zohran Mamdani running through City Hall, and text messages that describe the measures as ways to cut red tape, according to a summary of the Post's report by 5 Towns Central.

City law bars officials from using public funds to advocate for or against ballot proposals. The mayor's office says the commission that drafted the questions is carrying out a "state-mandated responsibility to educate voters," according to those reports. Critics say the materials promote the changes without explaining how they would affect oversight and public input.

Two Council members were among the critics. Council Member Joann Ariola called the spending an "improper use of taxpayer money," and Council Member Phil Wong said the effort "exceeds what previous administrations have done," according to the reports. Citizens Union questioned whether the campaign crosses into electioneering. IBTimes noted that the dispute has not established that any law was broken.

Why it matters to residents: early voting is under way through Nov. 1. The five questions would change how the city handles outdoor dining permits, contracting, street projects, building permits and its rainy-day fund. Our guide to the five questions explains what each would do to the Council's powers.

What our records add

The Council holds a hearing on government advertising Wednesday. The Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation, chaired by Gale A. Brewer, meets Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing titled "Mayor's Office of Ethnic & Community Media and Government Spending on Advertisements" (agenda item, meeting). The agenda does not name the ballot campaign, but the topic is city ad spending.

Four bills on government-paid messaging have waited since September. The same committee heard them as preconsidered items at its Sept. 22 hearing on the administration's use of social media influencers, then laid them over:

• Int. 1075, from Minority Leader David M. Carr, would bar candidates from appearing in certain government-funded third-party communications during an election campaign. Co-sponsors: Wong and Frank Morano.
• Int. 1076, also from Carr, would require reporting on third-party public communications. Co-sponsors include Brewer.
• Int. 1080, from Oswald J. Feliz, would require disclosures on third-party communications paid for with government resources. Co-sponsors: Carr, Brewer and Wong.
• Int. 1099, from Wong, would require campaign finance disclosures on content posted on websites, apps and social media.

All four were formally introduced Sept. 24 and have had no vote. Each targets paid influencers and other third parties rather than the city's own ads, so none would directly govern a campaign like this one.

The promotion videos came up at that September hearing. As we reported last week, Council Member Julie Won raised videos of the mayor promoting the ballot proposals during the influencer hearing. Later in the same hearing, a witness said enforcement of the existing rules on government messaging is weak, especially around ballot questions, and that the public needs a clear line between public service information and messaging that hints at how to vote.

The Council has paid for its own campaigns before. According to the Post's reporting, as summarized by 5 Towns Central, the Council spent more than $1.5 million last year against ballot measures backed by then-Mayor Eric Adams. Speaker Julie Menin has raised concerns about the current proposals but has not taken a formal position and is not funding Council opposition this year, according to the same reports.

What's next

Wednesday's Governmental Operations hearing is the Council's first chance to question the administration on advertising spending before Election Day. Early voting ends Nov. 1, and the questions are decided Nov. 3. The four messaging bills remain in committee; any vote would come after a new committee meeting is scheduled.