Political Career
Betsy Gotbaum became involved in civic affairs in the 1970s, while serving on the staff of former Mayor John Lindsay as District Manager for the Chelsea-Clinton (Manhattan West) Neighborhood, Assistant for Women's Issues, and Assistant for Education. Betsy Gotbaum continued her work in education with Mayor Abraham Beame, managing a training program for school security officers.
In the late 1970s, Betsy Gotbaum was recruited to run the New York Police Foundation. At the Police Foundation, she developed an innovative citywide health screening and work-site hypertension program with the New York City Police Department and facilitated an intensive training program for 911 operators. She also created a program engaging New York City in a campaign to purchase bulletproof vests for every police officer.
In 1990 newly elected Mayor David Dinkins appointed her the first female New York City Commissioner of the Department of Parks & Recreation. Gotbaum created a toll-free Parks hotline and successfully argued for a change in city policy allowing the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) and other organizations to use Central Park for fundraising events.
After leaving the Parks Department in 1994, Gotbaum became President of the New-York Historical Society, a position she held until launching her campaign for Public Advocate in 2001. When she took over, the Historical Society was closed to the public and on the verge of bankruptcy after years of mismanagement. Betsy Gotbaum rescued the institution from financial collapse, renovated its landmark building, and recalled its collections from various warehouses. In November 2000, she opened the innovative Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture. She also instituted exhibitions, education and public programs for a diverse and ever-increasing audience, leaving the society with a $33 million endowment. Betsy Gotbaum resigned from the Historical Society to run for the Office of the Public Advocate.
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