Citizens Union and Citizens Union Foundation are committed to reforming New York City and State government by fostering accountability, accessibility, transparency, honesty and the highest ethical standards. Always nonpartisan, since 1897, we have devoted ourselves to holding our government accountable and the enfranchisement of all New Yorkers.
Fighting for reform, fighting for New York.
Our Most Recent Press Releases
Eric Adams Should No Longer Be Mayor of New York City
February 19, 2025 – Mayor Eric Adams should resign from his office. His choices and actions over a sustained period of time have led to levels of ethical misconduct in City Hall unseen in decades. This has created a crisis of confidence in his ability to lead the government of our nation’s largest city and has led to the resignation of more than half of his current deputy mayors. Serious ethical lapses by the Mayor, and an absence of stability in any one of these roles, let alone all of them, threaten to undermine policymaking and the delivery of essential public services citywide.
Groups Applaud Court of Appeals Decision Upholding State Ethics Commission
February 18, 2025 – Watchdog and legal groups applauded today’s thoroughly-researched and argued decision by the NYS Court of Appeals that solidifies the constitutionality of the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG). This victory for state ethics oversight will help ensure that the governor does not have undue control over the very body that ensures their conduct is ethical
Statement from Citizens Union on Former Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon’s Resignation and Allegations Against Mayor Adams
February 14, 2025 – Citizens Union issues the following statement from Board Chair John Avlon in response to the resignation of former Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon and her letter detailing allegations against Mayor Eric Adams
Statement from Citizens Union on FEMA’s Seizure of NYC Funds
February 12, 2025 – Citizens Union issues the following statement from Board Chair John Avlon in response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) unilateral seizure of $80.5 million from New York City’s bank accounts
Statement from Citizens Union on DOJ Directive Dropping Charges Against Mayor Adams
February 10, 2025 – Citizens Union issues the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum and Board Chair John Avlon in response to the directive from the Acting Deputy Attorney General to the Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York to dismiss the charges against Mayor Eric Adams.
Citizens Union Announces Retirement of Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum
February 7, 2025 – Citizens Union and Citizens Union Foundation announced today that Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum will retire after seven years at the organization’s helm. Gotbaum, a distinguished public servant and nonprofit leader, has spent more than five decades serving the people of New York City in various capacities, leaving an indelible mark on the city’s civic and political landscape.
Citizens Union and Reinvent Albany Call for a Real Reform in How Special Elections Are Run in New York
February 7, 2025 – Citizens Union and Reinvent Albany sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in response to the efforts to change the special election calendar in New York.
Twice as Many Senior City Officials Indicted or Resigned Amid Ethical Scandal Under Mayor Adams as Under the Past Four Mayors Combined, Citizens Union Analysis Finds
January 24, 2025 – Citizens Union today published an analysis revealing that the number of senior City officials indicted or resigning under investigation in the three years since Mayor Eric Adams took office is double the combined totals across the Dinkins, Giuliani, Bloomberg, and de Blasio administration