Citizens Union facts for kids
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| Formation | 1897 |
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| Purpose | Good government |
| Headquarters | New York City |
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Region served
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New York State |
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Executive Director
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Betsy Gotbaum |
| Subsidiaries | Citizens Union of the City of New York is a 501(c)(4) membership organization Citizens Union Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization |
Citizens Union is a special group in New York City that works for "good government." It was started way back in 1897. The group's main goal was to fight against the powerful Tammany Hall political machine. This machine was a group that controlled politics in a way that wasn't always fair.
Many important people helped start Citizens Union. These included J. Pierpont Morgan, Benjamin Altman, Elihu Root, and Carl Schurz. There were 165 founders in total. In 1987, a newspaper called The New York Times said Citizens Union was one of the most respected "good government" groups in New York City.
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How Citizens Union Began
In 1902, Citizens Union supported Columbia University president Seth Low. He successfully ran to become the mayor of New York. This showed the group's early influence.
A few years later, in 1908, Citizens Union changed its focus. It stopped being like a political party. Instead, it became a non-political "government watchdog" group. This means they watch how the government works. They make sure things are done fairly and openly.
By 1918, the group was fully focused on making government better. They wanted to make it more modern and honest. Citizens Union helped investigate problems in government. They also worked on making it easier for people to register to vote.
The Voter Directory
One of their most important activities was publishing a "voter directory." This book, first made in 1910, helped people learn about candidates. It was a very popular way for the public to see what Citizens Union was doing.
What Citizens Union Does
By 1987, Citizens Union had 2,000 members and six staff members. After some city problems, the group became very active again. Under the leader Robert F. Wagner Jr., they grew their membership. They also started taking a more active role in city issues.
The group began doing more research projects. They held public meetings to discuss important topics. They also worked to change election rules to make them better. They kept publishing their voter directory. By then, they gave out 20,000 copies each year. These went to libraries, schools, and other places.
Citizens Union also gives a "Preferred" label to political candidates. This is a special endorsement in New York City elections. It means the group thinks these candidates are good choices.
Reporting on Government
Citizens Union has published its voter directory every year since 1910. In 1948, they started writing reports about city politics. These reports also covered how open and clear the government was.
In 1999, the Citizens Union Foundation started the Gotham Gazette. This is a New York newspaper. It is well-known for its news about city and state government activities.
Important Leaders
Many people have led Citizens Union over the years. William Jay Schieffelin was president from 1908 to 1941. He helped make the group a top supporter of good government changes in New York City. He pushed for judges to be carefully reviewed. He was also important in the events that led to Mayor James J. Walker leaving his job.
More recently, Dick Dadey was the executive director from 2004 to 2017. He focused on making campaign funding fairer. He also worked to make government more open.
Betsy Gotbaum became the executive director in 2018. She used to be the New York City Public Advocate. During her time, she has worked to make democracy stronger. She also tries to get more people to vote.
Board Members
Many well-known New Yorkers have been on Citizens Union's board of directors. These include former New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams. Also, New York Law School Dean Anthony Crowell and Columbia Law School professor Richard Briffault. Journalist and political expert John Avlon is currently the chair of the board.
