DCAS is in for a Mamdani era shakeup

A new era is under way at Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services. A significant reorganization at the department will be announced on Friday impacting at least 13 employees, including seven who are expected to be terminated, according to a City Hall source granted anonymity to discuss the plans before the announcement.

There’s a lot that’s still unclear, like the full list of affected employees and the exact justifications for the reorganization. But the changes, which City & State is told include reassignments and pay cuts for a handful of the employees who aren’t being terminated, are part of an effort by the Mamdani administration to signal they’re taking a hard look at an agency caught up in corruption allegations during Mayor Eric Adams’ administration. 

The source described some of the people affected as having been linked to or “installed” by former deputy commissioner Jesse Hamilton, who was indicted last year for allegedly conspiring to direct a contract towards a real estate developer in exchange for personal favors. Hamilton was also under investigation for steering a major contract towards an Adams campaign donor. (Hamilton resigned following his indictment in August 2025 and pleaded not guilty.)

It’s unclear if the individuals affected by the firings and other reorganization are being cut for any specific wrongdoing.

Another source familiar with the department said that a small group of employees received an email on Thursday informing them of an in-person meeting with Human Resources on Friday morning. That source said that based on the people who received that email, it sounded more like routine transitions between administrations than people specifically linked to corruption allegations.

A DCAS employee, granted anonymity to discuss internal culture, suggested it’s plausible the cuts are aimed at fighting corruption. “If I was at City Hall, I would go with their instinct. I would say if it doesn’t smell too good, just throw it out,” they said. “Don’t even bother tasting it. There’s a lot of stale meat over there.” That source said that salary cuts and demotions also occurred in the transition from Bill de Blasio’s administration to the Adams administration.

The changes come just over a week after Mamdani appointed Yume Kitasei as DCAS commissioner. At that press conference, the two skimmed over a question about whether they would continue to perform – and eventually release – a review of contracts under Hamilton’s purview. “Of course, we’re going to do a deep review of everything,” Kitasei said. “We'll work with the team to commit to transparency.”