skip to Main Content

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.

SaveTheDate2023r7

Our Most Recent Press Releases

 

Citizens Union Responds to Last Minute Bill Undermining Statewide Public Campaign Finance Program

 

Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the state legislature introducing a bill that would fundamentally alter New York State’s public campaign finance program

Read here

 

Citizens Union Prefers Susan Lee, Susan Zhuang, Julie Won, and Lynn Schulman in Races for City Council Seats in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens

 

Citizens Union announced its preferences in four contested primary elections for New York City Council.

Read here

 

Citizens Union, Other Good Government Groups Call on City Council to Reject Budget Cuts to New York City Oversight Agencies in the Mayor’s FY24 Executive Budget

 

Citizens Union, along with Common Cause, League of Women Voters of the City of New York, NYPIRG, and Reinvent Albany, sent a letter to Council Speaker Adams and several committee chairs expressing concerns over Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed significant budgetary reductions to key oversight agencies.

Read here

 

Citizens Union Applauds NYC Campaign Finance Board for Recommending Moving Local Elections to Even-Numbered Years in 2022-23 Voter Analysis Report

 

Citizens Union has released the following statement from executive director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the New York City Campaign Finance Board recommending moving local elections to even-numbered years in their 2022-23 Voter Analysis Report. Citizens Union issued Moving Elections to Even-Numbered Years in January, a report detailing the benefits of aligning New York City elections with gubernatorial or presidential elections

Read here

 

Citizens Union Responds to State Independent Redistricting Commission Vote to Advance Assembly District Maps

 

Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum following the state Independent Redistricting Commission vote to advance the final draft maps of the Assembly districts

Read here

 

Statement from Citizens Union on Proposal to Eliminate the Commission on Judicial Nomination

 

Eliminating the Commission on Judicial Nomination, which recommends candidates for the Court of Appeals to the Governor, would further politicize the judiciary and erode the public’s faith in our court system. 

Read here

 

Good Government Groups Call on Governor and Legislature to Abandon Flawed, Last Minute Proposal Changing Method for Appointing Judges to the NYS Court of Appeals

 

Citizens Union, the League of Women Voters of New York State, and the Committee for Modern Courts, released the following statement calling on the Assembly to reject Governor Hochul’s proposed “program bill” (A5983/S06061) which passed the Senate this morning and will change the selection process for appointing judges to the New York State Court of Appeals

Read here

 

Citizens Union, Other Good Government Groups Call on City Council to Protect Funding for Oversight Agencies

 

Citizens Union and other groups sent a letter to Council Speaker Adams and several committee chairs expressing concerns over the preliminary budget proposed by Mayor Eric Adams for Fiscal Year 2024, which includes significant budgetary reductions to key oversight agencies of New York City government. The groups believe that reducing agencies’ resources and personnel will severely hinder their ability to ensure accountability, ethics, and good governance across the municipal workforce, and prevent waste and corruption.

Read here

 

Let New York Vote Coalition Urges NYS Legislature to Include Voting Rights and Election Funding in One House Budgets

 

Let New York Vote Coalition Urges NYS Legislature to Include Voting Rights and Election Funding in One House Budgets

Read here:

 

Citizens Union Joins Watchdogs in Calling for FOIL/OML Reforms in Sunshine Week

 

Eight government watchdogs sent a letter today urging Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to pass the same transparency bills for this year’s Sunshine Week, March 12-18.

Read here:

 

Back To Top