Zohran Mamdani made a lot of promises to constituents when he was running for mayor, and immediately upon being sworn in, began to break them, including one to be transparent.
Mamdani has faced criticism for using the encrypted messaging app Signal to communicate with elected officials while conducting government business. During his campaign, he consistently promised that his administration would prioritize transparency. However, a report from Politico revealed that the mayor used Signal from a personal phone number to engage with elected officials and political strategists. In at least one of these exchanges, he discussed official city matters:
Three people with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO that as mayor Mamdani has used the encrypted messaging app to communicate with fellow elected officials and political advisers. In at least one instance, he’s discussed government business over the app, according to one of those people, who like the others, was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
POLITICO independently confirmed that Mamdani’s Signal account, registered to his personal cell phone number, remains active.
Norman Siegel, a veteran First Amendment lawyer who previously helmed the New York Civil Liberties Union, said mayors should never use Signal to communicate with other government officials as a rule of thumb — and that there’s another particularly important reason why Mamdani himself should avoid the app.
“With our new mayor, so much of what he’s articulating is a breath of fresh air,” Siegel said. ”I would urge him to not engage in Signal or similar kinds of applications that basically are meant to hide information and prevent the public from knowing the inner workings of government.”
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Mamdani’s campaign emphasized his commitment to a transparent and accountable government, yet his team did not respond to Politico’s inquiries regarding how his use of Signal aligns with those promises.
Joe Borelli, the City Council’s former Republican leader, defended the mayor, saying “Only an idiot wouldn’t use it after seeing the probes of the last admin” while also noted that “It isn’t illegal in 99 percent of his conversations, and it protects both parties.”
But Grace Rauh, who filed a lawsuit that forced former Mayor Bill de Blasio to release emails he exchanged with advisers, stressed that leaders “must be deliberate about how they communicate” and that “Any discussion of official government business must occur ina manner that ensures records are preserved and accessible under the Freedom of Information Law.”
Regardless of whether Mamdani used Signal to discuss city business, this falls short of the transparency he promised. Why would he need to use an encrypted messaging app to communicate with strategists and other elected officials if everything he is doing is above board?
When a politician campaigns on a platform of openness and transparency, using an app like Signal soon after taking office raises some concerns. The fact that even a left-leaning publication like Politico has highlighted his messaging practices indicates that this could become a significant issue for Mamdani as he seeks to build trust with his constituents.
