NYCivic

NOTE: This letter contains 1001 words, which I am reliably told is too long for a request for contributions. If you want to skip the exhortatory matter, and proceed to the quick, start at "THE REQUEST." We would rather get your money than take your time, although I think the case we make is interesting, and I hope you read it if you want to know more about us and what we do.

NY Civic Asks for Your Help
So We Can Do More in 2005

THE BACKGROUND

Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of the Civic.

'Tis the season to be jolly, whether for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, vacations or bonuses, which impel feelings of generosity and good will. We are also close to the end of the tax year, when people consider charitable contributions.

So we ask you to help New York Civic continue its work in 2005. It will be an important year for the city, because of elections for all three citywide officials, five borough presidents, and 51 councilmembers. Two district attorneys' terms will expire (Manhattan and Brooklyn).   NYCivic does not endorse candidates, but we can be helpful in letting you know what is happening, and what the candidates are saying, and not saying.

We have written 86 articles so far this year, and 36 Q's (short daily reports). We posted 62 columns in 2003, so there has been a 39 percent increase in our productivity, not counting the Q's. Our staff remains the same — Moby — who can speak to computers and get them to do what he asks.

We need money to pay Moby, to pay our phone and computer bills, for snail mail, and to provide lunch and transportation for interns and volunteers. It would be great if we could raise enough to have a full-time, or several part-time researchers.   If any of you, or a group of you, would care to sponsor a person to do this work, we will name him or her at your pleasure.

We have not asked for help so far this year, because we had raised enough in 2003 to cover our modest expenses. Our coffers now need replenishment, and we turn to you, the natural objects of our request for bounty.   We are probably in the lowest percentile of 501(c)(3)s that actually transact business. With your help, we could do even more, and have a greater impact in influencing the course of events, which is our aim.

Our goal is the honest and competent government of the City of New York. We try to be objective in evaluating events and predicting their consequences. We are dedicated to exposing corruption; not only the theft of public funds, but the use of public office for personal enrichment, and the failure to tell the truth to pursue personal advantage.   Sadly, we live in a political culture with relatively low standards of truth-telling. We try to raise the bar, so that candidates and officials will talk more honestly and realistically about the city's problems.

We are also troubled by incompetence, which is more widespread than is generally known. Because of the passivity of some officials, more harm is done by omission than by commission. We try to remind people what they should be doing with the public trust that which they have received.

The last vice to mention is arrogance, what Shakespeare, in Hamlet's soliloquy, called "the insolence of office." Both smart and dumb people can be arrogant, but we feel more distressed when bright people act that way, because they should know better.

In addition to the articles we write and send to you, we testify at public hearings, advise elected and appointed officials who ask us, serve as a resource for journalists and researchers, and, in general, try to bring waste and misuse of resources to the attention of these officials, and, if they are unresponsive, to a larger audience. We also sponsored three free forums at the Museum of the City of New York this fall, and plan three more in the spring.

There is great good done in the city by thousands of dedicated employees, effective managers, and honest elected officials, and we realize that. We do not carp or quibble at every municipal action or decision, and we definitely do not share the view, so popular among some elites, that the government is always wrong. The city is usually right, but it could often work more effectively and more economically. We can leverage change through our capacity to call wide attention to issues that would otherwise not be heard.

THE REQUEST

To be effective, we need your support, spiritual and financial. You can provide spiritual support by responding to our e-mails, whether you agree with us or not on an issue. We do not expect unanimity, and we are not upset if people we respect feel differently from us on a matter.

We do, however, need material assistance as well. The basic amount we ask you for is $25 up to $100, depending on your circumstances and your inclination. Be assured that larger gifts will not be refused.   This broad range will give us the cachet of having a large number of donors, and we welcome all gifts.   In order to grow, however, we rely as well on larger gifts from our readers. Whatever we receive will be matched by major donors, which will increase their effect and should encourage people to give.

You can help us directly by sending a check to New York Civic, 520 Eighth Avenue, Room 2205, New York, NY 10018. To save postage, you can bring the check in person; we enjoy talking to our readers and contributors. If you care to come at lunchtime, let us know and we will take you with us to a nearby Chinese restaurant. You can also contribute through PayPal , which is convenient.

It has been a challenge to write these articles, and the thought of people liking them enough to send money to maintain and expand our work is gratifying. You probably know that I receive no income from NYCivic, since my material needs and my son's tuition are met by the pension I receive for having worked forty years for the City of New York.

Let me express my appreciation to all of you for what I hope you will do.

All the best,

Henry J. Stern
(StarQuest)