Opinion: A different kind of political marriage

We are now in an era where government leaders both nationally and locally are struggling to meet the needs of the people they serve.

In New York City, we are in the midst of a heated mayoral race, and the candidates have – in most cases – articulated detailed ideas on how to improve our city.

Nonetheless, an infinitesimal number of voters will take the time to actually read their policy prescriptions. Fewer than one-in-four registered voters will bother to vote for the leader who will have a major impact on their lives for the next four years.

The mayor of New York has a very complicated job. They are responsible for the well-being of 8.5 million citizens, and even the best mayors of the past century didn’t have the vision or know-how to fix our public education system, expand affordable housing to meet growing demand or fund and implement universal daycare – a top priority for the 5BORO Institute.

Now more than ever, our city needs strong, nonpartisan civic institutions advocating for accountable and effective government.

That’s why we are proud to announce that the 5BORO Institute – the nonprofit think tank founded in 2022 by Dick Ravitch, the late great civic leader, and Tom Allon, the founder and publisher of City & State – is joining forces with the venerable good government group Citizens Union.

Together, Citizens Union and the 5BORO Institute at Citizens Union will form an even stronger, more influential civic organization that is responsive to the urgent needs of today’s New Yorkers. 

Grace Rauh, the founding executive director of 5BORO, will lead Citizens Union as its new executive director. She succeeds the legendary Betsy Gotbaum, who recently retired but will still be a vital force in New York’s civic conversation

In the three years since its inception, 5BORO under Rauh’s leadership has issued impactful policy research and reports about how to fix the staffing crisis in city government, build more affordable housing through an innovative office-to-residential conversion mode, and expand access to child care to lower child care costs for families – one of the most vital issues facing our city and, thankfully, a focus of real attention in the mayor’s race.

Raj Goyle will chair the 5BORO Institute at Citizens Union, and we look forward to working with Citizens Union’s new board chair, John Avlon, an award-winning journalist and civic leader, to ensure the success of this exciting partnership. 

Dick Ravitch devoted his life to steering New York through its hard fiscal times in the 1970s and building affordable housing like Waterside Plaza on the East Side of Manhattan. He also served as lieutenant governor of New York state in a time of crisis when the financial markets melted down in 2008. His unique and thorough knowledge of municipal budgeting was a national treasure that benefited New York in so many ways.

His exemplary brand of civic leadership will live on through the work of his last legacy project, the 5BORO Institute. When he helped create 5BORO in the last two years of his life, he did it because he was concerned about the future of our city. In his final days, he was delighted to see how our new organization was making a real impact and how Rauh was quickly becoming a respected and admired leader advancing important civic and policy conversations.

We now have exactly five weeks until the Democratic mayoral primary, and too many voters remain disengaged. That must change – and groups like Citizens Union and 5BORO are on the front lines of that effort.

The next mayor of New York will be faced with many challenges, not least of which will be budgetary challenges caused by cutbacks from the federal government and a potential slowdown in our economy, which will affect tax revenues. 

5BORO pledges to be a force for good by providing our city and state government leaders with innovative and actionable policy solutions to tackle big challenges facing New York. We must continue working to improve our democracy: improving our elections system, attracting talent to public service and equipping leaders with the tools they need to govern well.

Together with Citizens Union, the 5BORO Institute is ready to lead and build a more accountable and effective New York.