This year’s primary season has been one of the most chaotic of my lifetime. Thanks to the Congressional and State Senate maps being thrown out by the courts, we’re back to having two separate primary dates. This month, New Yorkers head to the polls to vote in primaries for Governor and Assembly. In August, we’ll be back to vote in Congressional and State Senate primaries. What a mess!
Citizens Union has evaluated a few key races, and is thrilled to offer preferences to candidates who are committed to advancing a strong reform agenda in Albany. You can read about them below. We’ll be doing this again in advance of the August primaries for State Senate. Stay tuned.
Amidst the electoral chaos, we are continuing to engage New Yorkers in the City Council redistricting process. We also hosted our first in-person Civic Conversation this month. I want to thank MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber for joining us. It was wonderful to hear him speak about the direction of the MTA and see so many of you at the Century Association.
Best,
Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director, Citizens Union/Citizens Union Foundation
POLICY UPDATES
Our Preferences for the June Primary
Earlier this month, we announced our preferences in several key primary elections taking place this month, including Kathy Hochul in the Democratic Primary for Governor and Harry Wilson in the Republican Primary for Governor. We also issued preferences for Brent O’Leary (District 37- Queens), Grace Lee (District 65- Manhattan) and Chris LeBron (District 75-Manhattan) in their respective Democratic Primaries for Assembly. To view our online voter directory, click here.
We evaluate candidates based on their alignment with our reform agenda, specifically views on ethics, election reform and police accountability; ability to advance their agenda once in office; knowledge of the needs of their constituents; and the ability to wage an effective and competitive campaign.
Early Voting for the primary elections for Governor and Assembly began on Saturday, June 18, and runs through Sunday, June 26. Election Day is Tuesday, June 28. To find your early voting and election day poll sites and hours, click here.
Update on Council Redistricting Work
Earlier this month, we drafted an op-ed in amNewYork, calling on the NYC Districting Commission to maximize opportunities for public engagement in the City Council redistricting process.
Shortly after, the Commission announced they would be delaying the publication of the draft Council district lines to allow more opportunities for the public to comment. Though over forty people testified at the citywide hearing in May, many communities have not yet engaged in the process. Gathering input from our city’s diverse communities is more important than rushing to publish new maps. You can see the new public hearing schedule here.
We continue to encourage the Commission to bolster multilingual and borough-based outreach efforts so that more New Yorkers know about these hearings and ensure meaningful public engagement in the process.
On Thursday, June 30th, Citizens Union will hold a special training with LatinoJustice PRLDEF focused on mapmaking for the city’s Latino community. Click here to register. You can find more info about our redistricting work at CitizensUnion.org/NYCRedistricting
Recap of Our Civic Conversation with Janno Lieber
On Wednesday, we had a wonderful “Civic Conversation” with Janno Lieber, Chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, moderated by our own Ben Max. Janno spoke candidly about the challenges of running the MTA, and broke the news that the agency had reached an agreement to make the system more accessible, settling a class action lawsuit brought by disability advocates. You can read about the conversation here.
We want to thank him for taking the time out of his busy schedule to participate in this program, and to everyone who joined us.
You can find out more about past and future Civic Conversations by clicking here.
SAVE THE DATE!
GOTHAM GREATS
125th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
October 18, 2022
2022 Gotham Greats Honorees
Doug and Wendy Eisenberg
Founders of A&E Real Estate Holdings
Loretta Lynch
Former U.S. Attorney General,
Partner in the Litigation Department at Paul Weiss
Tali Farhadian Weinstein
Attorney and Professor, former federal and state prosecutor
Our annual Gotham Greats Celebration will be held at the Metropolitan Club on Tuesday, October 18th. We are excited to come together with our valued supporters to celebrate our 125th year and the accomplishments of our esteemed honorees.
For more information on sponsorships and tickets, click here.
CU IN THE NEWS
amNewYork
June 5, 2022
Op-ed | Stay engaged in NYC Council redistricting process
Gotham Gazette
June 9. 2022
Passed by Senate, NYC Board of Elections Reform Shelved by Assembly
Amsterdam News
June 9, 2022
‘Don’t split us up’: NYC City Council redistricting begins public hearings
The City
June 16, 2022
Good-Government Groups Ask DA To Launch New Probe Into Brooklyn Democratic Party
Bloomberg
June 22, 2022
MTA to Make 95% of New York Subway Stations Accessible by 2055
Streetsblog
June 22, 2022
MTA CEO Puts it in Blunt Terms: ‘No Congestion Pricing, No More Second Ave. Subway, E-Buses or ADA Work’
Spectrum News
June 22, 2022
Good-government groups back New York ethics panel selection plan
GOTHAM GAZETTE
Are you thankful for Gotham Gazette? We are thankful for all of our readers and supporters as we continue to cover New York government and politics like no other publication. Please support our work with a donation today.
Where They Stand: Compare Democratic and Republican Candidates for Governor on the Issues
Democratic Candidates for Governor Make Closing Arguments at Final Debate Before Primary
by Samar Khurshid
Passed by Senate, NYC Board of Elections Reform Shelved by Assembly
by Ethan Geringer-Sameth
What’s In, What’s Out: 2022 State Legislative Session Ends with Major Policy Decisions
by Ethan Geringer-Sameth
Little Being Done to Address New York’s Prison-to-Shelter Pipeline
by Ethan Geringer-Sameth
CU FLASHBACK
Mayor John Lindsay reflected on a time when people were “frustrated by the distance they perceive between themselves and those who govern in their name.”
Several decades later, our good-government work and drive for reform are still needed.