Dear Friend,

The end of May is here, which means it’s the unofficial start of summer. Next month, we look forward to the June primary election, the end of the state legislative session, and the approval of the city budget.

Between now and the end of the state legislative session, we will continue to advocate for the passage of a bill to move all elections in New York to even-numbered years, which will help improve voter turnout and streamline the election process. We will also release our preferences for the June primary before the early voting period. Stay tuned for updates.

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

Citizens Union Urges the City Council Not to Rush Advice and Consent Expansion

This week, our Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum testified at the City Council hearing about the proposed legislation to expand the council’s advice and consent over 21 additional commissioner appointments.

Citizens Union urged the Council not to rush through this Charter amendment process and to allow for more time, committee meetings, and public hearings to fully consider the implications of this proposal. The bill’s list of commissioners requires closer scrutiny and case-by-case review. Additionally, we support making the Police Commissioner subject to the advice and consent of the Council.

Betsy joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” after the hearing to discuss more. You can watch her full interview here.

You can read our full testimony here.

Advocating for Even-Year City Elections Before the End of Session

The push to move all local elections to even-numbered years, including New York City elections, has gained momentum in the final weeks of the state legislative session.

During a press conference at the capital, we stood with state senators and advocates to show our support for a constitutional amendment to consolidate all local elections with federal elections. Senator James Skoufis (S9126) and Assembly Member Latrice Walker (A10466) sponsor this proposed legislation. We also submitted a memo of support along with dozens of voting rights, disability rights, civic, and community groups, urging lawmakers to pass these bills before the end of session.

A recent survey of NYC voters found overwhelming support for this policy across all demographic groups and partisan affiliations.

Betsy Gotbaum Testifies Against Mayor Adams’ Proposal Adding Red Tape to Elected Officials’ Communications

On the first of this month, our Executive Director, Betsy Gotbaum, testified at a City Council hearing to express her concerns about the Mayor’s policy requiring elected officials to file a request form to speak with agency commissioners or senior administration staff.

In her testimony, Betsy outlined how the Mayor’s proposal is unnecessary and creates unreasonable red tape. As Public Advocate, Betsy addressed many systemic issues that New Yorkers had with city services, which often required prompt attention. When New Yorkers have a problem with city services, they should be able to go to their elected officials to advocate for them. Mayor Adams’ new policy will make city government slower, less responsive, and inefficient.

You can view Betsy’s full testimony here.

Watchdog Groups Call on Court of Appeals to Hear New York Ethics Commission Case

Earlier this month, the state appellate court upheld a lower court decision finding New York’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) unconstitutional. We joined other good government groups to support Attorney General James’ appeal against this decision. The court’s ruling follows a lawsuit brought by former Governor Cuomo after the commission began investigating his $5 million COVID book deal.

This court decision jeopardizes the future of state ethics and could give the Governor too much power with little accountability. The Court of Appeals must act quickly to clarify the executive branch’s role.

You can read our full statement here.