Press Release |
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For Immediate Release
Jan. 14, 2014
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Contact: Mary Boyle
(202) 736-5770
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Demos President Tapped to Lead Common Cause
Miles Rapoport, former
Connecticut Secretary of the State, state legislator, and nonprofit
leader to take reins of venerable public interest organization
Miles
Rapoport, whose long career in public service has been devoted to
strengthening democracy and achieving economic fairness at every level,
has been named
president and chief executive officer of Common Cause.
“Miles
brings us an incredible combination of intellect, energy and
experience,” said Robert Reich, chair of Common Cause’s National
Governing Board. “His commitment
to our mission of holding power accountable, and his understanding of
the challenges we face in executing it, is unparalleled.”
Rapoport will start at Common Cause on March 10.
President
of Demos since 2001, Rapoport led that organization’s transition from a
small start-up to a significant public policy research and advocacy
shop.
“Demos has become a wellspring of innovative thought,” Reich said, “and
Miles is among its and our country’s best thinkers. Under his
leadership, Demos has led the way in identifying and spotlighting the
damage being done to our democracy by the growing gap
between the wealth of the richest Americans and that of our shrinking
middle class.”
In
addition to leading Demos through a period of tremendous growth,
Rapoport has been a regular writer and contributor to its studies of
income inequality,
campaign finance, and voting rights. He serves as a director of The American Prospect magazine and was its president from 2010-12.
At
Common Cause, Rapoport will succeed Bob Edgar, who died suddenly last
April after six years as the organization’s president. Edgar was a
former Pennsylvania
congressman, college president and general secretary of the National
Council of Churches.
“I
am tremendously excited to have the chance to lead Common Cause, build
on its remarkable history and strong organizational platform, and expand
on the major
initiatives led by Bob Edgar,” Rapoport said. “Common Cause’s work has
never been more important, and the stakes have never been higher. More
and more Americans understand now that economic inequality, big money,
and barriers to participation have distorted
our democracy, and they are ready to roll up their sleeves to reclaim
it. No organization is better positioned or better qualified than Common
Cause to lead that effort.”
Prior
to joining Demos, Rapoport served 10 years as a Connecticut state
representative (1985 to 1995) and then four years as the Secretary of
the State of Connecticut
(1995 to 1999). As Secretary, he was a leader in efforts for voting
rights, effective election administration, and campaign finance reform.
His work, side by side with Common Cause, helped lead to Connecticut’s
passage of strong public financing legislation.
He served in the leadership of the National Association of Secretaries
of State. Earlier, Rapoport served in leadership roles in two
state-based advocacy groups in the 1970s and 80s, as Boston director of
Massachusetts Fair Share and executive director of
the Connecticut Citizen Action Group.
Founded
in 1970, Common Cause is the nation’s original “citizens lobby,” a
non-partisan, non-profit organization with more than 400,000 members and
supporters
and offices in 35 states. Throughout its history, Common Cause has been
an advocate for increased citizen engagement in politics and government
and effective controls on the political power of major institutions and
the wealthy.
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Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots
organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American
democracy, reinventing an open, honest, and accountable government that
works for the public interest, and empowering ordinary
people to make their voices heard.
Kim Hynes
Senior Organizer, Common Cause in Connecticut
(203) 979-4676 mobile
(860) 549-1220 office
@khynes2000 Twitter Handle
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