Menin challenges office moves and eight months without a director
Menin asks why the office was moved under Mass Engagement and then under the mayor's communications director, and why it had no director for eight months. Sidahmed says he cannot speak to deliberations before he joined.
Why was the Office of Ethnic and Community Media moved originally under the Office of Mass Engagement?
Thanks for the question.
I can't speak to the liberations that were happening prior to my joining.
Yeah, I joined earlier this month and is currently in the Director of Communications.
Can you answer then why it remained under the Office of Mass Engagement for eight months and then only to be moved again and then placed under the Mayor's Director of Communications?
Sorry, I can't really speak to deliberations that happened before I started.
Okay, and you can't comment on why the office didn't have a director for eight months.
I mean, that is very concerning as well, that no one was running this office.
So while it was under mass engagement for eight months and no one was running it, then it was moved again and again with no director until you came on board.
I appreciate that question.
Yeah, as I said, I can't really speak to deliberations that happened before I started, but I can say that it is a unique office.
Like I said, it's the only one of its kind in the nation.
And in my conversations in joining the administration, I did sense a real desire to really get it right and understand what would be needed for this office.
That's the only thing I can speak to.
I do just have to say, like, not having a director for eight months, moving it, originally making the decision to put it under the Office of Mass Engagement, this all begs the question of, you know, how seriously this office is really being taken.
I mean, I am someone who's worked with that office for a long time.
I really believe in community and ethnic media.
I'm very troubled by what has happened over the last eight months.
And just that you can't answer the rudimentary question of, like, what is the agency's ad buy?
Like, that is a basic question.
To me, like, that is, like, question number one.
What's the overall ad buy?
So then how can we make sure that 50% of it is actually going to these outlets, which is what our law prescribes?
No, I appreciate your concern.
As I said, I'm really looking forward to digging into the data and getting all of that information for you.
Okay, I'll pass it back over to Chair Brewer.