Hizzoner should get over himself.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already put his own TikTok famous mug on the city’s 2,220 digital kiosks, sparking backlash from critics who say he’s acting like an ego-Mam-iac.
Only three weeks into his tenure, the mayor can now be seen in a public service ad running around-the-clock on the city’s LinkNYC kiosks, urging parents to enroll their kids in pre-K and 3K programs.
“Last week we announced we won more than $100 million in new funding to make 3-K truly universal and today is a great day to sign up,” Mamdani urges Big Apple parents in the ads, appearing in what looks like a pre-K classroom.
But critics blasted Mamdani for using public resources to promote himself with the self-congratulatory video so early in his administration.
“If Adams did this everyone would be cringing and saying he was using the kiosks for shameless self-promotion,” said Manhattan Institute fellow Nicole Gelinas, referring to Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, who left office at the end of 2025.
“There’s a state law that bans this and for good reason — tax dollars shouldn’t be spent propping up elected officials,” said Melissa DeRosa, a top adviser to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who Mamdani defeated for the mayoralty last year.
A state law approved in 2007 bars elected officials from appearing in government public service ads.
The news outlet City and State first reported the rollout of Mamdani’s PSA.
Last year, The Post reported on City Hall ads promoting rosy city statistics under Eric Adams — such as drops in crime — that appeared on LinkNYC kiosks and referred to a “deliveringforyou.nyc” website.
Adams, while weighing a run for re-election, did not personally appear in the kiosk ads nor was his name mentioned in the spots.
Mamdani’s office insisted the mayor complied with the law barring the use of public resources for electioneering.
Using the image of the now-nationally known socialist darling to promote pre-k is appropriate and does not violate the Public Officers Law prohibition on using government resources to purchase ads on private or commercial media — because the ad was not purchased, said mayoral spokesperson Dora Pekec.
“LinkNYC is required to broadcast city public service announcements as part of their operating agreement and the City did not use any taxpayer dollars to place this advertisement,” Pekec said.
The city of New York has free access to 25% of LinkNYC screen time per month as part of the franchise agreement.
Public service ads featuring prior mayors have been broadcast on TaxiTV and LinkNYC in the past, Pekec added.
A spokesperson for LinkNYC confirmed the “free ads” provided to the city under the franchise agreement and that prior mayors have appeared in public service announcements.
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