Statement On The Passing Of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn

Statement Of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer

 

We are deeply saddened by the passing today of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn.

Karen also served as a member of the Democracy 21 board of directors.

Karen was an extraordinary individual, a deeply committed person, and a uniquely skilled, tough-minded, and powerful leader in the battle to protect, preserve, and strengthen our democracy.

She was a true descendant of John Gardner, the founder of Common Cause, where we first met and worked together decades ago. We continued working together for nearly 40 years. For me, Karen was the essence of what John Gardner had in mind when he founded Common Cause in 1970.

Karen brought to her Common Cause presidency the same values, sense of purpose, and fighting spirit on which the organization was founded.

Karen once said: “I have spent my life and had the opportunity to work with amazing people in Washington and across the country and what has amazed me is the power of a single person acting and fighting.”

Karen was a terrific and inspiring leader who embodied that fighting “one person can make a difference” spirit from her earliest days when she joined Common Cause as an assistant in the 1980s, through her extraordinary work in Connecticut, and then back at the national level as Vice President and then President.

Karen would say, “Democracy is not a destination. It requires continual vigilance and hard work.”  We honor her legacy by carrying on the fight.

Karen was a vitally important national leader of the public interest movement. She was, quite simply, a force of nature.

On a personal level, I deeply valued her wisdom, her spirit, her keen political sense, her creative energy, and her friendship. She was a comrade-in-arms.

Our deepest sympathies go to her family, to the Common Cause community, and to all of us who knew her, worked with her, and were inspired by her.

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