The first two months of 2023 have flown by! 

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our first Civic Conversation of the year. I want to thank Kathryn Garcia for joining us to give CU members the lowdown on what’s happening in the Hochul Administration and our board member John Avlon for facilitating an informative and engaging discussion. Also, a special thank you to our friends King & Spalding for hosting and sponsoring the event.

Meanwhile, we’re already in the thick of budget season in Albany. Citizens Union has been monitoring the budget process to ensure the state is making necessary investments in our new public campaign finance system and the new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying. These programs must be adequately funded to give New Yorkers the transparent, representative democracy we deserve. 

You can read more about all that and more in this edition of The Reformer.

Best,

POLICY UPDATES

Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal

Governor Hochul’s first budget as an elected Governor presented an opportunity to move past the culture of corruption that has plagued Albany for generations. Her executive budget proposal succeeded in some areas but fell short in others. 

This year the State’s new public matching funds program will go into effect. We are disappointed that the Governor’s executive budget included only a fraction of the matching funds’ dollars requested by the Public Campaign Finance Board. Although the Governor provided $14.5 million for administrative costs and $25 million for matching funds, additional funding is needed to strengthen confidence in the program and to encourage participation. Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie must ensure the program is fully funded and continue to offer reforms to improve our elections. A strong matching funds program is the best way to curb the influence of big donors and to allow candidates to wage competitive campaigns while relying on small contributions from everyday New Yorkers.

Although funding for the matching funds program fell short, we are pleased that the Governor’s budget funds the new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government with $7.78 million, the amount sought by the Commission. This funding will support the commission’s work on ethics training and oversight. 

You can read our testimony for the 2023 state budget hearing here. 

Election Reform and Professionalization at the Board of Elections 

Our executive director Betsy Gotbaum penned a letter to the editor of the New York Daily News regarding the appointment of Judge Carol Edmead to the NYC Board of Elections. Judge Edmead has an impressive track record. We hope Judge Edmead will begin her tenure by advocating for more professional hiring and management practices. We must call on the legislature to reform the partisan election administration structure that has failed voters for decades.   For generations, the partisan structure of the BOE has failed voters. Until it is reformed, we will never have the elections New Yorkers deserve.

ICYMI: Spreading the word On Even-Year Election Reform

Last month, we published a report outlining the benefits of moving New York City’s municipal elections to even-numbered years. This month, our Director of Policy, Ben Weinberg, appeared on WCNY’s The Capitol Pressroom to discuss why we should align our election calendars to make it easier for people to vote to create a more representative electorate.   

Sunshine Week in Albany is a Chance for Greater Transparency

In preparation for “Sunshine Week” (March 12 through 18), Citizens Union joined eight other government watchdog groups to send a letter urging Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to pass unified transparency bills. While the Senate and Assembly have passed strong transparency bills in past sessions, the two houses almost always pass different bills.

Aligning Senate and Assembly efforts would bring more sunlight to state government and create stronger oversight. The letter provided a list of bills that the Legislature should pass, including ending the commercial FOIL exemption and closing the “advisory body” loophole in the Open Meetings Law. Legislation passed in 2021 made it so that public bodies that are “purely advisory” but were a creation of law 1 no longer have to hold open meetings. The Legislature needs to close the loophole so that these advisory bodies are again subject to the Open Meetings Law. Additionally, we support legislation that would limit the commercial FOIL exemption to three years, at which point companies would have to reapply for the exemption. You can read more in the letter here.

DEVELOPMENT

Recap Civic Conversation with Kathryn Garcia

On Wednesday, February 22, we had a wonderful “Civic Conversation” with Kathryn Garcia, Director of State Operations for Governor Hochul, moderated by Senior Political Analyst and CNN Anchor John Avlon. Garcia spoke about several policy issues affecting New York, including infrastructure, housing, energy and climate, bail reform, public safety, and more. 

We want to thank her for taking the time out of her busy schedule to participate in this program and to everyone who joined us. You can learn more about past and future Civic Conversations by clicking here.

CU IN THE NEWS

City & State 
Kathryn Garcia: ‘Things are coming together’ on Hochul’s housing plan
February 22, 2023
 
New York Daily Dews
Revamp Recruitment
February, 13 2023 

The Capitol Pressroom
Report advocates for municipal elections on even years
February 9, 2023 

Manhattan Times
Benefits in moving NYC election years: report
February 2, 2023 

GOTHAM GAZETTE

Hochul’s Budget Offers Far Less Funding Than Requested by New State Public Campaign Finance Board
by Ethan Geringer-Sameth
 
Officials, Advocates Analyze Implications of Hochul’s ‘Housing Compact’ on New York City
by Samar Khurshid
 
How the Pandemic Changed New York City’s Budget Priorities, Per State Comptroller
by Samar Khurshid
 
How New York Will Implement the $4.2 Billion Environmental Bond Act Passed by Voters in 2022
by Ethan Geringer-Sameth