2025 Primary Election

Andrew Cuomo has a record of executive experience that stands head-and-shoulders above his fellow candidates in this Democratic primary field. Yet, rarely has a candidate arrived with a resume as thick—or as complicated. After nearly 11 years as governor, and earlier service in Washington as Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and New York State attorney general, Cuomo is the most seasoned government executive to seek City Hall in living memory.

His record of delivering major infrastructure projects and landmark laws while reducing Albany dysfunction to a minimum showed a mastery of politics, implementation, and the levers of government. Those levers were pulled to advance reform under his watch. Achievements during his tenure included tougher lobbying disclosures, a constitutional ban on gerrymandering, the nation’s first statewide public-matching funds program, numerous election and voting reforms, and a mandate for local police reform.

Cuomo now offers New Yorkers a vision of strong, stable leadership to navigate the city’s complex challenges, including those posed by the current President. Citizens Union believes he is well-suited for that task. A tough and competent mayor could lead our city to new heights.

Cuomo understands power and would be uniquely able to advance the city’s interests in Albany and Washington on Day One as Mayor because of his previous government positions. That offers a tremendous advantage to deliver for our city, especially in a time of crisis. But his past misuse of power cannot be ignored: from shuttering the Moreland Commission to intervening in the ethics agency he created, from COVID nursing home data omissions to accusations of sexual harassment, from using government resources to write his memoir to recent campaign finance problems. An aggressive style of governing ultimately alienated members of the legislature, forced his resignation and clouds his potential return.

Citizens Union knows this history firsthand. We sued Cuomo to overturn a law aimed at pressuring public charities not to criticize his administration by exposing their donors. We opposed his lawsuit against the state ethics commission—as the lawsuit was an effort to avoid accountability that would have weakened oversight. When mounting sexual harassment allegations made it clear he could no longer effectively lead the state, we were among those who called for his resignation.

To re-earn New Yorkers’ trust, Cuomo must leave behind that domineering approach, forge a constructive partnership with the City Council and Governor, and show a genuine commitment to avoiding the ethical missteps that marred his past. Recent penalties imposed on Cuomo’s campaign by the New York City Campaign Finance Board regarding alleged coordination with an affiliated Super PAC raise concerns. But in conversation with Citizens Union, he pledged to set clear ethical standards, including strict conflict-of-interest rules, independent oversight, stronger whistleblower protections, and a cooling-off period for officials tied to former clients, and to seek out a new generation of leaders to join his administration. Notably, he now supports ending the city’s closed primary system, citing chronically low voter participation, and advancing open-primaries which would open the door to more representative elections.

If he can balance hard-won wisdom and a degree of newfound humility with his unmatched command of governmental levers, Cuomo could marshal City Hall’s power for all New Yorkers’ benefit.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s long career as a reformer is marked by real, measurable wins. He led efforts to clean up the City Council by pushing through rules banning outside income and reducing member items, creating a more ethical legislative body. He was an early supporter of Ranked Choice Voting and helped get it enacted via a charter revision commission. He was behind key legislative measures to regulate the activity of Super PACs and improve accountability of the NYPD. As Comptroller, he introduced new transparency dashboards and completed impactful audits while keeping the City’s pension funds growing.

Lander’s campaign for mayor mirrors the attentiveness of his previous public offices. He has published several detailed policy plans, including a Public Integrity platform that echoes long-standing Citizens Union priorities on ethics, accountability, lobbying, and pay-to-play. In his interview with Citizens Union, he offered some of the most substantive answers of any candidate. He identified emergency procurement as a key vulnerability in the city’s corruption defenses—an insight rooted in experience. To remedy chronic understaffing, he points to how housing and hiring policy can be used to attract talent. On the perennial tension between the Mayor and City Council, he laid out a thoughtful three-part framework to strengthen collaboration while preserving executive leadership.

He does not agree with every reform proposal advanced by Citizens Union. Notably, he’s skeptical of an open primary system, believing political parties still have a central vetting role to play, even as he has criticized his own political party. However, he said he would not campaign against open primaries being put forward as a ballot question to voters this fall.

Lander brings a deep understanding of city government and the conflicting interests surrounding it. He has managed the city’s second-largest elected office effectively and used his nuanced oversight responsibilities to gain meaningful results. This background makes him prepared to lead City Hall, especially with serious fiscal clouds on the horizon.

Some may wonder whether Lander’s liberal policy-wonk persona will connect with everyday New Yorkers and whether he has the ability to inspire the public while offering strong executive leadership that can work constructively with Washington in an extremely contentious climate. But in a time of overlapping crises, we believe the city needs what he offers: seriousness, readiness, and a record of reform.

State Senator Zellnor Myrie has represented central Brooklyn since 2019, quickly emerging as the Legislature’s most effective champion of election reform and voting rights.

Elected as part of a new cohort of young leaders who unseated the Independent Democratic Conference, he became chair of the Senate Elections Committee and led the most sweeping overhaul of New York’s election system in a generation, in what he called “From Worst to First.” Reforms included early voting, online voter registration, a state Voting Rights Act, closure of the LLC loophole, improved absentee process, and more. When the New York City Board of Elections stumbled yet again, Myrie convened hearings that produced the first legislative package plan to modernize and professionalize local boards of elections. Citizens Union has pursued some of these reforms for decades.

His mayoral bid carries the same clarity. He offers reform-minded and thoughtful approaches to public safety, housing, and dealing with the federal government, and pledges significant steps to restore accountability and honesty to City Hall. He pledged to scrutinize every no-bid contract in his first 100 days, recognizing them as fertile ground for waste and fraud. He plans to strengthen the budget and power of the Civilian Complaint Review Board and has set clear criteria for appointing his top officials.

Citizens Union disagrees with Myrie on some points: he is skeptical of a top-two open primary, citing concerns of possible gaming the system, and he opposes removing the mayor’s power to block charter ballot questions. Yet he engages these issues thoughtfully and leaves room for principled compromise.

Critics note his limited executive résumé; he has never managed an agency the size of a city department. That is a legitimate concern with so many serious challenges facing the city. But New York has prospered under lawmakers-turned-mayors before, most notably Ed Koch.

What Myrie lacks in executive mileage he makes up for in legislative skill, ethical compass, and a pragmatic reformer’s drive. Given the chance, he could translate those strengths into the principled, energetic leadership from a new generation that City Hall urgently needs.

Michael Blake, an industrious civic leader and former Bronx Assembly Member, is president of a TV sports network, CEO of an equity-focused consulting firm, and founder of a nonprofit focused on educating the public about the impact of democracy. He also served as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee and has previously run for Public Advocate, U.S. Congress, and most recently, Vice Chair of the DNC again.

In this mayoral campaign, he emphasizes the need to restore trust in government and to “believe in NYC.” That includes a deep commitment to ethical governance, which he underscored in his interview. He proposed establishing an independent ethics board within the Department of Investigation, strengthening whistleblower protections, and other measures. Blake is fully aligned with CU’s reform agenda in the questionnaire, including support for open primaries, subjecting the police commissioner to advice and consent, and removing the mayor’s power to block ballot questions.

An impassioned orator, Blake is an effective advocate for democratic reforms and policy issues, and Citizens Union appreciates his continued use of these skills in service to the people of New York.

Jessica Ramos has represented Jackson Heights, Corona, and the surrounding Queens neighborhoods in the State Senate since elected in 2018, part of a wave that ousted the Independent Democratic Conference. A strong advocate for organized labor with a background in union work, she has chaired the Senate Labor Committee for the past six years and boasts an impressive legislative track record on farmworkers’ rights, wage theft protections, Covid relief for immigrant workers, and more.

Ramos, who previously served as Director of Latino Media under Mayor Bill de Blasio, emphasized that she is the only candidate with the experience of having “a desk in City Hall,” and told CU she wants to improve technology across city government services. Representing a district particularly affected by policies of the Trump administration, she described creative ways New York can use its leverage to mitigate those impacts.

Ramos supports CU’s reform issues in the questionnaire with the exception of open primaries. She expressed concern about potential manipulation of the system but acknowledged the reform’s possible role in reducing polarization and said she is open to continued discussion. Her platform also calls for stronger police accountability and enhanced independent oversight.

Citizens Union appreciates her strong legislative record, deep commitment to her community, and the candor of her responses.

Scott Stringer is a former New York City Comptroller, Manhattan Borough President, and Assembly Member representing the Upper West Side. This is his second run for mayor.

He has devoted his decades of public service to reform and has delivered substantial improvements in every office he has held. He is a policy driven public servant and was instrumental in ending empty seat voting in the Assembly, modernized community board appointment as Borough President, and incorporated new pension ethics rules and transparency measures in the Comptroller’s office. He also touts his efforts to keep the de Blasio administration accountable, working with prosecutors on the Rivington House scandal and taking the City to court to force disclosure of contracts shielded by emergency orders.

His campaign indicates that he will bring the same tenacity as mayor through an expansive ethics and anti-corruption agenda targeting pay-to-play practices, big-money donations, government transparency, and the revolving door between business and government. The detailed plan includes several CU priorities.

Nonetheless, Stringer opposed several of CU’s priorities. He opposes Open Primaries being put forward to voters in 2025, arguing that the current Charter Revision Commission lacks the credibility to lead that conversation. He expressed uncertainty about moving local elections to even years and opposed removing the mayoral power to block charter revision ballot questions and advice and consent for the police commissioner. Yet, even in disagreements he offers informed, thoughtful, and honest responses that reflect a clear commitment to the public interest.

One of the most experienced contenders in the mayoral field, Stringer has given more thought to the issues that plague our city than many of his peers. Citizens Union applauds his career of public service and believes he would bring valuable leadership to the mayor’s office.

Whitney Tilson is a former hedge fund manager and an education activist as a founding member of Teach for America, a nonprofit that has deployed tens of thousands of teachers to underserved communities. Tilson is an engaging newcomer to New York’s political scene, and he uses that newcomer status to brand himself as an outsider, not a career politician, with the business acumen to get the city back on track in the mold of Michael Bloomberg. 

In his questionnaire, Tilson supported almost all of CU’s priorities and was one of only two candidates to explicitly support open primaries from the outset. He opposes subjecting the police commissioner to advice and consent from the City Council but wants to double the budget of the Civilian Complaint Review Board. When asked how he would navigate city government as an outsider, he said hiring the right people will be crucial and stressed he wants to recruit effective public servants from other cities.

Citizens Union appreciates Tilson’s head-first dive into the political scene and commends his political independence and strong support of reform.

Adrienne Adams, Speaker of the New York City Council, has represented southeast Queens over the past eight years. Due to scheduling conflicts, Citizens Union was unable to interview Speaker Adams and cannot evaluate her candidacy for mayor. In her questionnaire, she expressed support for nearly all of CU’s reform priorities, including moving city elections to even years, removing the mayor’s power to bump ballot questions, and introducing stricter limits on donation bundling by lobbyists. She did not express a position on open primaries but stated that the City should explore the concept. As the Chair of the Public Safety Committee and later as Council Speaker, she has been a champion of police accountability and strengthening oversight agencies, including the Civilian Complaint Review Board. During her tenure as Speaker, the Council tightened the post-employment restrictions and improved transparency in budgeting and agency performance. Citizens Union appreciates her commitment to accountability and oversight.