Mamdani launches COGE to reform NYC after federal DOGE collapse

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE), a 15-member panel that will hold 10 public hearings across New York City’s five boroughs and draft charter amendments for the November 2026 ballot. The commission’s first public meeting is set for June 4, with borough hearings beginning June 9.

Patrick Gaspard, the former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, will chair COGE. The panel includes labor leaders such as Henry Garrido of District Council 37. Mamdani created COGE to replace a prior charter review panel he inherited from former Mayor Eric Adams.

COGE will solicit input from union leaders, community organizers and city workers. Its review will focus on speeding housing approvals, tightening procurement practices and changing how services are delivered while maintaining current staff levels and service levels.

Mamdani framed the commission as a local alternative to the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which wound down last November after political clashes at the national level involving Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Federal DOGE pursued workforce reductions and contract cancellations; COGE will pursue voter-approved charter amendments instead of agency-level cuts.

Mamdani wrote on social media, “COGE will hold hearings in every borough and meet with union members, community organizers, and working people who will shape how we build a more responsive and accountable government. The future of this city will be built by all of us, together.”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos publicly backed the commission and said savings identified by COGE could help fund a tax cut for lower-income workers. He commented, “With some of the savings, we can zero out taxes on the bottom half of earners.”

Supporters highlighted the borough-by-borough hearing schedule and the inclusion of unions and community groups. Critics questioned whether a commission with substantial labor representation can identify the level of budgetary savings needed to justify structural charter changes, noting the federal DOGE’s early emphasis on cuts and the political backlash that followed.

Draft charter amendments will be shaped by the hearings and submitted for the November 2026 ballot for voter approval. The administration described COGE as a locally driven process distinct from prior federal efforts.