Zohran Mamdani allies launch group to harness grassroots energy of his mayoral campaign

Zohran Mamdani's allies have launched a new nonprofit group called Our Time, aiming to mobilize the grassroots energy behind his mayoral campaign. The organization is set up as a tax-exempt 501c4 social welfare group, allowing it to fundraise and lobby for Mamdani's policies. Following a similar model used by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, which sparked corruption investigations and criticism from good government groups.

The first hour-long mass call for Our Time attracted over 650 participants who shared their enthusiasm for the young Democratic Socialist leader. According to Jeremy Freeman, the new executive director of Our Time, the mission is to continue growing the movement that started during Mamdani's campaign and win, implement, and defend affordability agendas.

Our Time organizers claim to be studying previous efforts by de Blasio's Campaign for One New York to avoid pitfalls, but critics warn that the potential for pay-to-play remains a concern. However, Freeman assures that Our Time will conduct its own fundraising and be more transparent than required by law, refusing donations from entities with business before the city.

The group plans to launch door-knocking campaigns starting next weekend to build support for Mamdani's universal child care promises. They also aim to recruit 15,000 volunteers for a trip to Albany to lobby state lawmakers in the coming months. A week of action is planned in January and a day of action in February to push for rent freezes and free buses.

While the line between the Mamdani campaign and Our Time is already blurred, with volunteers from the former group joining the new organization, some experts remain cautious about the potential risks of outside groups influencing local politics.

I'm both excited and skeptical about this new nonprofit group, Our Time. On one hand, it's awesome to see grassroots energy mobilized behind Zohran Mamdani's campaign . I mean, who doesn't want universal childcare? It's a great promise for families with kids. But on the other hand, I've seen how similar groups have worked out in the past... like that Bill de Blasio thing . I'm worried about the potential for corruption and pay-to-play politics. Our Time seems to be taking steps in the right direction by being transparent and conducting their own fundraising, but we'll see how it all plays out. I guess only time will tell if they can make this work without getting too caught up in the influence game .

I'm low-key worried about these new nonprofit groups popping up to support politicians . I mean, it's cool that people are enthusiastic about Zohran Mamdani's policies and want to get involved, but the fact that Our Time is modeled after Bill de Blasio's campaign makes me think there might be some sketchy dealings going on . I hope they're being super transparent with their fundraising and not getting too cozy with special interests . And can we talk about how ambitious 15,000 volunteers for a trip to Albany sounds? Like, that's a lot of pressure on these lawmakers .

You gotta wonder what's going on here . So, this new nonprofit called Our Time just launched, supposedly to keep the grassroots energy from Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign alive, and it's already causing some concern. I mean, who wouldn't want a little extra push in their favor? But at the same time, there's this risk of pay-to-play going down again , like with that former Mayor de Blasio's Campaign for One New York. It's all about transparency here, right? The new executive director, Jeremy Freeman, is trying to assure everyone that Our Time will be super transparent and won't take donations from entities that have a vested interest in the city. But, I gotta ask, how can we really trust anyone when it comes to that kinda thing?

And then there's this plan to build support for Mamdani's universal childcare promises through door-knocking campaigns and recruiting volunteers for a trip to Albany . It sounds like some good stuff, but at the same time, there's this whole issue of outside groups influencing local politics that just makes me go "wait, what?" . I mean, we're already dealing with enough complexity in our politics as it is. Do we really need more entities trying to sway the narrative?

The emergence of Our Time as a nonprofit group seems like a deliberate attempt to harness the grassroots energy that fueled Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign . While it's commendable that they're attempting to build on the momentum, I do worry about the potential for conflicts of interest and the blurring of lines between the original campaign and this new organization. The fact that they're studying previous efforts by de Blasio's Campaign for One New York suggests a level of pragmatism, but it's also crucial to acknowledge the risks associated with outside groups influencing local politics . Nevertheless, if managed properly, Our Time could potentially become a powerful force for good in shaping Mamdani's policies and advancing his affordability agendas .

idk why ppl r so worried bout these groups... like, aint no harm in tryna mobilize more peeps 4 affordable agendas . Mamdani's got popular support & Our Time's just helpin him scale it up. Plus, de Blazio did it too & look how that turned out . still, gotta keep an eye on these groups dont wanna see no corruption or pay-to-play . think its cool theyre makin themselves transparent tho

I'm keeping an eye on this new nonprofit group called Our Time . Their goal to mobilize grassroots energy for Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign seems legit, but I'm not entirely sold on their plan . Using a similar model from Bill de Blasio's Campaign for One New York, which led to some shady fundraising practices...I mean, who wants to replicate that?

But, hey, it's great that they're planning door-knocking campaigns and aiming to recruit 15,000 volunteers! That shows enthusiasm is high ️. Yet, I do hope they stay transparent about their funding and avoid those pay-to-play concerns .

I'm also curious to see how they'll balance between Mamdani's campaign and Our Time...will it get blurry? Still watching this space !