I hope you’re enjoying the summer and finding time to relax with friends and family.
This summer brings exciting news for Citizens Union as our Board Chair, Randy Mastro, was nominated to serve as corporation counsel for the City of New York. Randy’s dedication to integrity, fairness, and the rule of law has been a hallmark of his leadership at Citizens Union. I have no doubt he will bring the same commitment to his new role if given the opportunity to serve.
I also want to take a moment to express my disappointment over The New York Times‘ decision to discontinue offering endorsements in New York City elections. This change underscores the increasing importance of Citizens Union’s candidate evaluation process. As one of the last sources for unbiased evaluations of candidates for important local offices, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing voters with the clear, objective information they need to make informed choices at the polls.
Looking ahead, we have some fantastic events planned for the fall. Our next Civic Conversation will feature Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick on September 24 at King & Spalding. I hope you’ll join us on October 22 for the 2024 Gotham Greats celebration. This year, we are thrilled to honor three outstanding leaders: Carrie Cohen, Alicia Glen, and Brendan McGuire. Their contributions to New York City are immense, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements with our community of supporters.
As always, you can read more about what we’ve been up to this month in this edition of The Reformer.
Best,
Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director, Citizens Union/Citizens Union Foundation
POLICY UPDATES
Independent Budget Office Finds Millions in Fiscal Savings of Moving Local Elections to Even-Numbered Years in NYC
The New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) recently sent us a letter outlining how moving local elections on-cycle with state and federal elections would result in approximately $42 million in savings every other year.
Based on data from the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) annual reports, the IBO’s analysis estimates that shifting to on-cycle elections could save the city millions of dollars, as the infrastructure for conducting elections in even years would already be in place. 
The IBO’s findings validate what we at Citizens Union have championed: moving our municipal elections to even-numbered years in New York City is not only a democratic imperative but also a smart fiscal decision. And while the cost savings are substantial, the real benefit comes from boosting voter turnout and ensuring a more diverse representation.
We continue to call on city and state leaders to take action to amend the State Constitution and move all local elections, including in NYC, to even-numbered years.
You can read the IBO’s letter here, and our statement in response here.
Our New Report Finds Ample Opportunities for Public Input on City Council Public Safety Bills
In June, we published a detailed report on more than 1,700 local laws approved by the City Council over the past decade. Our analysis showed that public safety laws have opportunities for public input similar to other issues, suggesting that separate rules are unnecessary. This policy report was created because the 2024 Charter Revision Commission is considering adding more public input requirements for such bills. We testified before the Charter Revision Commission at the beginning of July to present our findings.
The report’s key findings include the following:
- There are no major differences in the time allocated for input on public safety bills compared to other bills.
- The current Council does not provide less time for public input on public safety bills compared to previous Councils.
- High-profile public safety bills that drove the conversation took longer to approve than other contentious bills.
You can read our full report, including detailed data and analysis, here.
Citizens Union Condemns Misuse of NYPD Disciplinary Rules
In June, we released a statement in response to the joint ProPublica and The New York Times report expressing our deep concern about NYPD leadership’s misuse of disciplinary practices. The report highlighted how current practices have allowed NYPD leadership to delay and disregard accountability for police misconduct, demonstrating an urgent need for reform.
The 2012 memo of understanding that empowered the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) to prosecute officers—which Citizens Union was involved in establishing—was not intended to give the Police Commissioner carte blanche to shut down disciplinary cases as he sees fit. If that 12-year-old memorandum is now used to avoid prosecution, the City Council should pass legislation that improves it, removes the Police Commissioner’s broad “retention” discretion, and codifies it into law.
You can read our full statement in response to the report here.
JOIN US!
You’re invited!
Join us on Tuesday, September 24th, for our next Civic Conversation with Dan Garodnick, Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission, moderated by Citizen Union’s Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum.
RSVP to attend here.
Please save the date, Tuesday, October 22, for Citizens Union’s Annual Gotham Greats Celebration.
Our Gotham Greats honorees are an extraordinary group of New Yorkers who contribute their talent to strengthening our city. This year, we are excited to honor:
- Carrie Cohen – Partner, Morrison & Foerster and former Assistant US Attorney.
- Alicia Glen – Founder & Managing Partner, MSquared, former Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development.
- Brendan McGuire – Partner, Wilmer Hale and former Chief Counsel to NYC Mayor Adams.
CU IN THE NEWS
NY Daily News
Expanded Access
August 27, 2024
Queens Chronicle
City could save millions by moving elections
August 22, 2024
POLITICO
Playbook Newsletter (Even Money)
August 16, 2024
City & State
Independent Budget Office: Holding all elections on even years would save NYC millions
August 15, 2024
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
IBO: NYC could save $42 million every other year by shifting election cycle
August 15, 2024
Queens Daily Eagle
Queens voters cast ballots in hotly contested primary races
June 25, 2024
The New York Times
Letter to the Editor: Scaffolding in New York
July 24, 2024
The New York Times
Mayor Adams Dodges a City Council Threat by Making One of His Own
July 23, 2024
Politico New York Playbook
It’s Slow Enough Already
July 8, 2024
WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE
The New York Times: The New York Times Will Stop Endorsing Candidates in New York Races
Gay City News: Why I support Randy Mastro for corporation counsel
The New York Times: Mayor’s Commission Scales Back Plan to Curb City Council’s Power