New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration is currently facing a conflict-of-interest complaint regarding its use of the Signal messaging application for communications with social media influencers. Democracy Restored, a Texas-based watchdog organization, submitted a formal letter requesting an investigation to the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board on Friday. The complaint focuses on the administration’s alleged use of an official Signal account to disseminate talking points and other specific messaging to a curated group of over 200 online personalities.
"What the mayor was basically doing was astroturfing public support for his agenda by getting social media influencers to promote his government agenda and goals." Houston Keene, Director, Democracy Restored
According to the complaint, which references an August investigative report from the Columbia Journalism Review, Emilia Rowland, the administration's director of New Media and Cultural Communications, established an official Signal account. This account was then used to invite a "curated list" of influencers. Houston Keene, Director of Democracy Restored, stated in the complaint, “The purpose of the official Signal chat was clear — to relay talking points to more than 200 social media influencers. In fact, that is what occurred.”
The watchdog group asserts that this arrangement raises significant questions about the appropriate use of taxpayer resources. The complaint states, “At bottom, however, is the fact that taxpayer money is being spent on campaigns involving influencers with almost no knowledge of how or why.” Furthermore, Democracy Restored argues that the setup presents potential ethical and conflict-of-interest concerns, noting, “The ethical and conflicts-of-interest implications presented by the Mayor’s office’s use of this Signal chat are undeniable.”
A critical aspect of the complaint involves New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). The organization highlighted concerns that electronic government communications often qualify as public records requiring retention. Signal’s feature for disappearing messages could potentially impede or prevent the preservation of these communications. The letter specifically mentions that Signal’s “disappearing messages and unobtainable information” could interfere with public-record retention requirements, making transparency challenging.
The issue has not gone unnoticed by local authorities. In September, the New York City Council conducted an oversight hearing where administration officials were questioned about the influencer outreach operation. Council members expressed concerns regarding the use of Signal for official communications and public messaging, particularly concerning the transparency implications. Keene noted that since that hearing, the mayor’s office has provided limited information about the Signal account and has, he alleges, resisted parts of the council’s inquiry.
Mayor Mamdani has previously defended his administration’s communication practices. He has publicly stated that he believes his administration did not act improperly by utilizing the messaging application. Mamdani also pointed out that previous mayoral administrations and various city agencies have historically used Signal for government communications. The mayor has explicitly denied that the city compensated influencers for interviews with him.
The administration has acknowledged the concerns surrounding disappearing messages. Ramzi Kassem, chief counsel to the mayor, indicated in September that officials took “immediate corrective action” following reports that staff members had been deleting messages. These corrective measures reportedly included training employees to ensure that Signal’s disappearing-message function was turned off when the application was used for official government business.
Despite these assurances, Keene maintains that unanswered questions persist. He argues that the administration has yet to fully explain how taxpayer funds were utilized in connection with the influencer program. Additionally, he asserts that the issue of potentially deleted public records remains unresolved. Keene characterized the administration’s actions by stating, “What the mayor was basically doing was astroturfing public support for his agenda by getting social media influencers to promote his government agenda and goals.” This characterization represents the watchdog group’s allegation, not a formal finding by the Conflicts of Interest Board.
Keene emphasized that Democracy Restored believes the matter warrants an official investigation. “We believe there are serious ethical and conflict of interest issues involved here, and that there is very good cause for the conflict of interest board to get involved,” he concluded. The complaint itself does not establish that Mayor Mamdani or his staff violated specific city ethics rules; rather, it serves as a request for the Conflicts of Interest Board to investigate the communications, the expenditure of taxpayer resources, and the administration’s adherence to public records protocols. The dispute continues to revolve around whether the mayor’s office overstepped ethical or transparency boundaries through its coordinated messaging efforts with influencers via Signal. The Mamdani administration, for its part, continues to deny paying influencers and affirms its implementation of measures to preserve official communications moving forward.
