Mayor Bloomberg Will Appoint Rose Gill Hearn as Chair of Campaign Finance Board

December 30, 2013

Gill Hearn Was Longest Serving Department of Investigation Commissioner; Tripled Annual Arrests

Gill Hearn Will Also Chair Advisory Board for Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced Rose Gill Hearn will become the next Chair of the Campaign Finance Board. Hearn succeeds Father Joseph P. Parkes, S.J., who resigned last week following the expiration of his term. Gill Hearn has been the longest serving Department of Investigation Commissioner in the city’s history, serving 12 years in that role since 2002. The New York City Campaign Finance Board, which was created in 1988 in response to public corruption scandals, is a nonpartisan city agency charged with limiting the role and influence of private money in the political process. To that end, the agency provides public matching funds to candidates for city office; provides public disclosure of campaign finance information; and conducts voter outreach and engagement activities, including a debate program and the citywide Voter Guide published in print, online, and video. Under Commissioner Gill Hearn’s leadership DOI investigations have resulted in more than 6,500 arrests, tripling the number of arrests annually since 2002. DOI’s numerous investigations have resulted in unprecedented monetary recoveries for the City as well as criminal convictions for public corruption, including several cases that stemmed from DOI’s analysis of the City’s member item funding process.

“We’ve run the cleanest administration in City history – and that began with my appointment of Rose Gill Hearn as Department of Investigation Commissioner. Over the past twelve years Rose has been an unparalleled champion of public integrity, rooting out corruption and ensuring that all City employees were held to the highest standard,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The Campaign Finance Board has a proud tradition of chairpersons who are above the political fray, with impeccable integrity and a reputation for nonpartisan leadership. Our city owes a debt of gratitude to Father Parkes, who served in this role with distinction for the past five years. Now, Rose will continue that tradition of ensuring that the CFB both protects taxpayers’ dollars and strengthens our democratic process.”

“I am truly honored to be asked to serve our City as the Chair of the Campaign Finance Board,” said Commissioner Hearn. “The Board is a powerful force for good, ensuring transparency in political fundraising and doing a great job in getting impartial, trustworthy information out to the voters. Its work is highly acclaimed throughout the country, with good reason. I look forward to working with the terrific people there and thank Mayor Bloomberg for the confidence he has placed in me by considering me for this position.”

“It’s been an honor to serve as Chair of the CFB, which plays such an important role in helping people run for office and helping voters make informed decisions,” said Rev. Joe Parkes, S.J., the CFB’s outgoing chair. “The CFB’s staff is extremely dedicated, and I know that the work that we did together will continue and expand under Rose Gill Hearn, who comes to the job with impeccable credentials and a well-earned reputation for promoting honesty and integrity in government.”

“Rose Gill Hearn continues an unbroken line of great chairs of the Campaign Finance Board. She commands the respect of candidates, voters and the civic community for her integrity and fairness. Mayor Bloomberg has made an excellent choice,” said Gene Russianoff, senior attorney for the New York Public Interest Research Group. “NYPIRG participated in the creation of the City's landmark campaign finance law in 1988 and has worked to strengthen the law over the past quarter century.”

“Gil Hearn’s selection today as Chair of the Campaign Finance Board is a very good choice,” Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union. “Given Ms. Hearn’s law enforcement experience and background in fighting corruption, she is well-equipped to bring her skills and talents to an agency whose past success and future results depend upon principled independence and thoughtful oversight. The program has aided greatly in reducing the influence of money on our local politics and made possible neighborhood civic leaders to run for elected office. Ms. Hearn’s appointment assures a solid program going forward.”

Commissioner Gill Hearn established seven new investigative units within DOI focused on agencies or areas not previously covered by DOI including the City Board of Elections, lobbying law City- funded nonprofits, the construction industry and digital forensics. Since 2002, she established a comprehensive corruption-prevention program, with more than 5,500 anti-corruption lectures conducted citywide, and issued nearly 3,000 recommendations to close corruption vulnerabilities. The Commissioner developed and implemented a weekly Compstat program at DOI in 2002 for managing the Department’s large docket of citywide cases.

Additionally, Commissioner Gill Hearn helped create the Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity (CAPI) at Columbia Law School and will chair its Advisory Board. CAPI will study corruption and accountability in government, with a focus on corruption at the municipal level in jurisdictions around the world, and will draw upon Columbia students and distinguished faculty members to contribute to its work. The Center’s mission is to improve the capacity of public offices and anti-corruption and law enforcement practitioners to deter, identify, and respond to governmental corruption at all levels.

Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Commissioner Gill Hearn was an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. She has taught Trial Advocacy as an adjunct professor of law at Fordham University School of Law and worked as a litigator in the private sector. Commissioner Gill Hearn serves on the Board of the Fordham Law Alumni Association and on the Government Ethics Committee of the New York City Bar Association. The Commissioner has hosted conferences, written, taught and lectured nationally and internationally on public integrity issues.

The chair of the Campaign Finance Board is appointed by the mayor after consultation with the speaker. Her appointment will take effect on December 31, 2013 following her resignation as Commissioner of DOI.

Contact:

Marc La Vorgna (212) 788-2958 Eric Friedman / Matthew Sollars (CFB) (212) 306-7116