The independent watchdog group NYC Common Sense is seeking information on the production costs of a new 13-minutes short film produced by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration.
The film, titled “The Union of Pinnacle Tenants: A Short History of NYC Housing,” purports to show the creation of a tenants union to fight Pinnacle Group, the real estate company that manages 10,000 rent-regulated apartments across the city. The video is narrated by actor and socialist activist Morgan Spector and positions the mayor’s administration as being champions of apartment renters.
In a statement, NYC Common Sense faulted Mamdani for taxpayer funded self-promotion.
“New Yorkers elected a mayor, not a Hollywood producer,” said the organization. “The administration should, of course, communicate with New Yorkers, and transparency and accessibility are essential. But when an undisclosed sum of public dollars is used to create a video narrated by a well-documented extremist in an effort clearly intended to generate viral attention, priorities have become recklessly misplaced.”
NYC Common Sense said it filed a Freedom of Information Law request to see how much public funding was spent on the film.
“Good governance is about delivering real solutions to real problems, not merely generating headlines,” the organization added. “As the city grapples with an ever-worsening deficit, City Hall should be vigilant about the appropriate use of taxpayer funds. Making short films does not clean the streets or keep New Yorkers safe or even make the buses faster.”
Photo: A screenshot of Mayor Mamdani in “The Union of Pinnacle Tenants: A Short History of NYC Housing”
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