Citizens Union Releases Anti-Corruption and Accountability Agenda for the Next Mayor 

New York, N.Y. (October 24, 2025) – Citizens Union, a nonpartisan good government organization dedicated to promoting transparency and accountability in New York City, today released a comprehensive blueprint with actionable proposals for the next mayor to restore ethics, integrity, and public confidence in city government: How to Restore Public Trust and Clean City Hall: Proposals for the Next Administration.

“New Yorkers deserve a city government that operates with integrity, transparency, and accountability – not one mired in scandal or self-dealing. Our anti-corruption and accountability agenda lays out a clear, achievable roadmap for the next mayor to rebuild public trust and restore ethical leadership to City Hall,” said Grace Rauh, Executive Director of  Citizens Union. “We look forward to working with the next mayor to achieve these goals.”

The recommendations focus on five key problem areas exposed in recent years: 

• Cronyism and Conflicts of Interest in Appointments: Recruit and retain top officials based on merit, require safeguards for incoming officials with private sector ties, and prohibit the use of city legal resources for personal matters. 
• Supercharged and Under-Regulated Lobbying: Restore disclosure of meetings with lobbyists, restrict bundling and revolving-door practices, and transfer lobbying oversight to the Conflicts of Interest Board.
• Underfunded and Weakened Watchdog Agencies: Fully fund and protect the independence of oversight bodies like the Conflicts of Interest Board, Department of Investigation, and Civilian Complaint Review Board; establish a procurement ethics task force.
• Gutting Transparency Standards at City Hall: Strengthen Freedom of Information Law compliance and restore regular press access to city officials. 
• Power Struggles at the Expense of the Public: Commit not to block ballot questions, tighten rules preventing the misuse of public resources for electioneering, and support a process for removing a mayor over misconduct.
  

​​​Additionally, Citizens Union has chosen not to endorse a candidate for Mayor in the 2025 General Election and released the following statement:

“This year’s slate of mayoral candidates presents a polarizing range of choices for the voters. Although each candidate brings both strengths and weaknesses, none has presented a compelling anti-corruption and democracy agenda, or a plan for restoring trust in local government. Differing opinions among the Citizens Union Board of Directors, along with questions about the candidates’ commitment to implement effective government reforms, has led the organization to take the unusual step of issuing a No Endorsement in the 2025 Mayoral election.

Citizens Union remains true to its mission and values and looks forward to working with the successful candidate to ensure that New York City is a model for public service integrity and broad-scale democratic engagement.

Whoever steps into office on January 1, 2026, will need to clean a City Hall tarnished by corruption scandals, weakened accountability, and eroded public trust. Restoring integrity will require more than a change in leadership – it demands a renewed commitment to honest governance and ethical standards. That means eliminating self-dealing and cronyism through new safeguards on incoming officials and restoring ethics policies removed by the Adams Administration. It means empowering watchdog agencies with the resources, access, and independence needed to root out corruption and misconduct. And it also means setting a new tone across city government in favor of transparency, collaboration, and professionalism.

That is why Citizens Union is releasing a new reform blueprint to aid the next Mayor, to restore ethics, accountability and trust in New York City government.”

The organization published its City Council endorsements for this election earlier this week. You can see the list of endorsed candidates below:
 

Citizens Union list of November 2025 endorsements: 

• Council District 19, Queens – Bayside, Whitestone, College Point, Auburndale, North Flushing, Murray Hill
  Benjamin Chou (D)
• Council District 30, Queens – Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, Woodhaven, Woodside
  Alicia Vaichunas (R)
• Council District 47, Brooklyn – Bay Ridge, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, Coney Island
  Kayla Santosuosso (D) 

 In the June primary election, Citizens Union issued a preference or ranked preference for the following candidates who are on the ballot this fall: 

• Comptroller
  Mark Levine 
• Manhattan Borough President
  Brad Hoylman-Sigal
• City Council District 2 (Manhattan- Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, East Village, Midtown South-Flatiron-Union Square, Gramercy, Murray Hill-Kips Bay)
  Harvey Epstein 
• City Council District 4 (Manhattan- Midtown South-NoMad, Midtown-Times Square, Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village, Murray Hill-Kips Bay, East Midtown-Turtle Bay, United Nations, Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill)
  Virginia Maloney 
• City Council District 5 (Manhattan- East Midtown-Turtle Bay, United Nations, Upper East Side-Lenox Hill-Roosevelt Island, Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, Upper East Side-Yorkville)
  Julie Menin 
• City Council District 8 (Manhattan/The Bronx – Mott Haven-Port Morris, Melrose, Concourse-Concourse Village, Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, Upper East Side-Yorkville, East Harlem (South), East Harlem (North), Randall’s Island)
  Elsie Encarnacion 
• City Council District 14 (The Bronx- University Heights South-Morris Heights, Fordham Heights, University Heights-North Fordham, Morris Heights, Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge-Marble Hill, Mount Hope, Bedford Park)
  Pierina Sanchez 
• City Council District 17 (Queens- Crotona Park East, Melrose, Hunts Point, Concourse, East Tremont, Morrisania, Longwood, Port Morris, West Farms)
  Justin Sanchez
• City Council District 28 (Queens- Richmond Hill, Jamaica, South Ozone Park, Rochdale Village)
  Tyrell Hankerson 
• City Council District 38 (Brooklyn- Sunset Park, Red Hook, Greenwood Heights, Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights, Borough Park, Park Slope, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach)
  Alexa Avilés
• City Council District 51 (Staten Island- Todt Hill-Emerson Hill-Lighthouse Hill-Manor Heights, New Springville-WillowbrookBulls Head-Travis, Fresh Kills Park, Oakwood-Richmondtown, Great Kills-Eltingville, Arden Heights, Rossville, Annadale-Huguenot-Prince’s Bay-Woodrow, Tottenville-Charleston, Freshkills Park, Great Kills Park)
  Frank Morano 

In addition to these endorsements in competitive Council races, Citizens Union has endorsed all six proposals that will be on the ballot this fall, which include four City Charter amendments on land use and housing, one Charter amendment to move local elections to even years, and one statewide constitutional amendment involving the Adirondack forest preserve. You can read more about the ballot questions here.  

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