José Bayona, the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media, resigned last week. He was instrumental in establishing the MOECM office, the first of its kind in the nation, designed to extend outreach to various weekly and ethnic community publications across all five boroughs. Bayona oversaw an advertising budget ranging from $70 million to $100 million each year.
Bayona has not publicly disclosed the reasons behind his decision to step down.
Instead, the office has informed media outlets that Orchida Harizaj, the Project Manager, will now serve as the primary contact for inquiries.
Responding to LittleAfrica News‘s question about Bayona’s exit, Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy expressed gratitude for Bayona’s contributions.
“We appreciate everything José did for our team and his years of service to the city, especially as he helped stand up the Office of Community and Ethnic Media,” Levy said.
He added, “José helped turn on the lights for our administration and has been an invaluable member of our team since day one. These are tough jobs and we’re grateful for however much time any individual is willing to spend serving this city. We wish José the best of luck.”
The MOECM still faces other key vacancies, including the Chief of Staff, formerly held by Renée Jeanty, and the Associate Director for Outreach and Engagement, a role last occupied by Pedro Frisneda.
Frisneda was appointed after Famod Konneh departed on February 9 for a position in the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs.
According to the City of New York website, “The MOECM, the first Mayoral Office of its kind in the United States, was established by Local Law 83 of 2021.” It aims to promote city services and programs by partnering with a diverse range of local ethnic and community media outlets that serve people across the five boroughs.
The office mandates that each mayoral agency allocate at least fifty percent of its total advertising expenditure to Ethnic and Community Media (ECM) outlets. This approach targets specific neighborhoods, geographic regions, or populations within the city rather than the entire city as a whole.
ECM outlets are crucial in keeping New York’s diverse ethnic communities — including Black, Latino, Asian, and Indian populations — well-informed.
These communities rely heavily on ECM publications for information that is pertinent to their families and local areas.
ECM outlets are pivotal in informing these communities about important issues such as upcoming elections, city programs and services beneficial to families, and new policies and laws that could impact their lives.
Mayor Adams has committed to enhancing access for ethnic and community media, historically marginalized in city affairs.
Last December, he announced plans to reassess the allocation of space in City Hall’s Room 9 press room to provide more access to these media groups, emphasizing his administration’s commitment to transparency and inclusion.
The mayor added, “We have been unfair to ethnic and community media in this city and we’ve treated them like second-class citizens. It’s not going to continue in this administration.”
Referring to the NYPD providing more space at their headquarters for all media to cover the department, Adams said, “We want more people to come in and cover. More people want to cover the police department and that is what we accomplish. It is an expansion (of transparency) if anything.”
As the upcoming General Election in November 2024 and the New York municipal elections in 2025 approach, it is crucial that the MOECM be fully staffed and operating efficiently.
The office plays a key role in supporting ECM outlets by providing essential information and advertising city services and programs, ensuring that diverse communities remain well-informed and engaged.
Levy also highlighted the ongoing importance of ethnic and community media. “We hope to continue to build out our Ethnic and Community Media team as we continue to talk to New Yorkers from all walks of life and build a government that looks like the city it represents. But we won’t be missing a beat. The team in place already has a plan to ensure we continue to engage with ethnic and community media week after week, with interviews, roundtables, and more.”
