Personality
Confusing acronyms are a big part of New York’s political alphabet soup
Some organizations share the same acronym while others are extremely close.
Which group did you mean? Rizky Panuntun/Getty Images
Learning the language of politics, and political organizations, often involves a lot of acronyms. From unions to advocacy groups, many groups want to be known by a short, concise, easy to remember name. But the constraint that a lot of organizations have NY or NYS in their names means that a lot of groups have staked their claim to the same acronym or very similar ones. Here are some of the most prominent examples in New York politics.
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That’s my name too!
While strong context clues probably mean that these organizations and government agencies that share the same acronym are unlikely to be confused for one another, it’s certainly possible.
NYPA: New York Power Authority and New York Press Association
MCNY: Museum of the City of New York and Metropolitan College of New York
CANY: Correctional Association of New York, Cannabis Association of New York and CANY (the building consultants)
CNY: Central New York and City of New York
BDS: Brooklyn Defender Services and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
DEA: Detectives’ Endowment Association and Drug Enforcement Administration
DOE: U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Energy
CSNY: City & State New York and Crosby Stills Nash & Young
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So close
An errant typo or missed letter, and you’re suddenly talking about a whole other organization or process! Because these acronyms are not that far off from each other, it’s likely they’ve been confused for each other at least a few times.
Home Care Association of New York State (HCANYS), Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS)
New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NYSANA)
District Attorneys Association of the State of New York (DAASNY) and Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY)
Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and the proposed Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP)