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Head of NYC Campaign Finance Board resigns six months after taking job
By
Brigid Bergin
Published May 16, 2023
Modified May 18, 2023
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Elizabeth Kim
By
Brigid Bergin
Published May 16, 2023
Modified May 18, 2023
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The head of the New York City Campaign Finance Board is stepping down from her post just six months after taking the job.
Beth Rotman became the agency’s third executive director when she took the position in October.
In a statement on Tuesday, she cited personal reasons for departing her new role so soon.
“It breaks my heart to leave my dream job at the nationally acclaimed New York City Campaign Finance Board, where I served earlier in my career,” said Rotman. “However, the need to move to care for an ailing family member requires that I step away from this role.”
Staff at the board were informed of her departure on Tuesday morning before a release was sent publicly in the afternoon.
Current and past agency officials told Gothamist that Rotman’s brief tenure was marked by struggles to set a clear direction for the growing agency. Timothy Hunter, a spokesperson for the CFB, declined to comment.
The shakeup comes just a day after the CFB voted to fine Mayor Eric Adams nearly $20,000 for campaign finance violations related to his transition and inauguration committee. The largest portion of that fine — $14,000 — relates to the campaign’s refusal to provide documentation of spending in a timely manner.
The leadership changes also coincide with the next month's primary election.
Candidates for City Council are raising money for the upcoming June 27 primary election, an unusual two-year election cycle triggered by last year’s redistricting process that changed the boundaries for all 51 districts.
While there are not competitive elections for every district, 145 candidates are currently participating in the public matching program, according to the CFB.
The former executive director, Amy Loprest, will serve as the interim director of the program until the CFB completes its search for a new executive director, the CFB said in a press release.
Prior to joining the CFB, Rotman served as the national director of money in politics and ethics at Common Cause. Before that, she launched the campaign finance program for the state of Connecticut, which debuted with a strong 75% enrollment rate among candidates before facing a court rulings in 2010 that altered portions of the program. Rotman left her Connecticut post shortly after that.
Rotman joined the CFB shortly after the 2021 election cycle, where the agency program disbursed a record-breaking $127 million in public-matching funds to participants, according to analysis by The City.
She was appointed last September by the five-member CFB and began working in the city post in October.
Board members serve on staggered five-year terms in accordance with the City Charter. Two members are appointed by the mayor and two by the City Council speaker, while the mayor selects the chair in consultation with the speaker.
Frederick Schaffer, the CFB's current chair, was appointed to finish out a five-year term in 2017, and then reappointed in 2018. His term expires in November. He is expected to assist with the agency's day-to-day operations while the search takes place.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct Amy Loprest's name.
Tagged
new york city
Politics
eric adams
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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