LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 200th Anniversary of THE CITI-
ZEN on June 10, 2016

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
those illustrious journalistic entities which have diligently and
consistently, year after year, recorded the history of their communities
and brought local news and news of the larger world to their readers;
and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 200th Anniversary of THE CITIZEN to be celebrated at a Lunch-
eon on Friday, June 10, 2016, at the Hilton Garden, Auburn, New York;
and
WHEREAS, Published continuously for the past two centuries, THE CITI-
ZEN, also known as THE AUBURN CITIZEN, is the only daily newspaper
published in Auburn, New York; the newspaper, owned by Lee Enterprises,
serves Cayuga County and parts of the Central New York region; and
WHEREAS, From its beginnings as THE AUBURN GAZETTE in 1816, through a
long list of successor publications, THE CITIZEN has chronicled local,
state, national and international events of all types for 200 years; and
WHEREAS, On June 6, 1816, THE AUBURN GAZETTE was first issued by
Thomas M. Skinner and William Crosby; through the 19th Century, the
newspaper changed hands and names many times; some of those titles were
the CAYUGA REPUBLICAN, the AUBURN JOURNAL, the ADVERTISER, the CAYUGA
PATRIOT, the DAILY ADVERTISER and the AUBURN UNION; and
WHEREAS, At the onset of the 20th Century, the newspaper was named THE
CITIZEN and was principally owned by the Osborne family; in 1931, the
newspaper merged with the ADVERTISER to become THE CITIZEN-ADVERTISER;
and
WHEREAS, In 1975, Howard Publications bought the newspaper and changed
the name back to THE CITIZEN; in 2002, the current proprietors, Lee
Enterprises took over ownership of the newspaper; and
WHEREAS, Throughout its renowned 200-year history, THE CITIZEN has
told the story of Auburn, showing how it has changed and progressed as a
city; and
WHEREAS, In its early years, THE AUBURN GAZETTE was comprised of more
advertisements than news stories; the CAYUGA PATRIOT included community
events such as the transformation of Auburn from its original settlement
as Hardenburgh Corners in 1793, to an actual city; the addition of the
prison on State Street and Osborne Works Factory which offered jobs to
residents; native son, Secretary of State William H. Seward brought
national attention to the city, serving under President Abraham Lincoln
during the Civil War, and Harriet Tubman, the famed organizer of the
Underground Railroad, settled here creating a bond which continues
today; and
WHEREAS, In 1929, a riot at the Auburn Correctional Facility was the
big local story of the year; the outstanding coverage of the melee won
THE CITIZEN a Pulitzer Prize, which is still proudly displayed in its
downtown Auburn offices; and
WHEREAS, As The Great Depression changed both the Nation and Auburn,
THE CITIZEN-ADVERTISER became the lone survivor of all the newspapers
that had populated Cayuga County throughout the last Century; and
WHEREAS, In the 1950s, THE CITIZEN-ADVERTISER proclaimed the shocking
news that International Harvester was closing its Auburn factory, the
start of the decline in manufacturing in the area; and

WHEREAS, In March of 1960, THE CITIZEN-ADVERTISER covered the explo-
sion at a downtown service station, killing three firefighters and two
employees; and
WHEREAS, The new decade started with THE CITIZEN-ADVERTISER document-
ing a prison uprising at the Auburn Correctional Facility; and
WHEREAS, THE CITIZEN-ADVERTISER itself would see many changes in the
1970s; the newspaper built a new facility across Dill Street which
opened in 1970, and four years later, the paper stopped publishing on
Saturdays and started a Sunday edition highlighted by color comics; by
1976, the newspaper's name would change for the last time, as THE CITIZ-
EN-ADVERTISER became simply, THE CITIZEN; and
WHEREAS, The biggest local story of the 1980s was the disappearance of
an Auburn woman, Julie Monson; the discovery of her body in the Montezu-
ma Wildlife Refuge on a Friday was so monumental, THE CITIZEN published
a special Saturday edition; and
WHEREAS, Auburnians will remember the early 1990s, for a number of
large fires such as the Five Points fire of 1991, the H.R. Wait, and
Dunn and McCarthy building blazes in 1993; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, a series of arson fires in Cayuga County and a murd-
er-suicide lead THE CITIZEN to once again publish a special Saturday
edition; by the end of the decade, THE CITIZEN would add a regular
Saturday edition, its first in 25 years; and
WHEREAS, In 2002, THE CITIZEN was sold by Howard Publications to
current owner, Lee Enterprises; under the new ownership, the newspaper
continued its tradition of covering big local news stories such as the
2004 opening of Bass Pro Shops at Fingerlakes Mall; and
WHEREAS, In the last few years, the newspaper's website, auburnpub.com
has expanded and become a large part of the way THE CITIZEN covers
breaking local news; and
WHEREAS, For a generation now, THE CITIZEN has been under the luminous
direction of its Executive Editor, Jeremy Boyer, and Publisher, Rob
Forcey; maintaining a high quality and relevant paper, they, along with
their committed staff, continue to deliver a superior product to all of
its readers, and serves as an expressive voice to the people of the City
of Auburn region by providing a platform for all members of its communi-
ty; and
WHEREAS, Our newspapers provide a tremendous service to citizens
across the State of New York by keeping them informed about current
events; the democracy of our State and Nation is strengthened by a
responsible citizenry which is actively engaged in reading and kept
abreast of news affecting their lives; and
WHEREAS, As THE CITIZEN moves into the future, it carries with it the
.SO DOC A R1424 RESO TEXT 2015
legacy of a distinguished journalistic history and an outstanding record
of growth and achievement; and
WHEREAS, It is with great pleasure that this Legislative Body acknowl-
edges THE CITIZEN'S distinguished journalist history and its outstanding
record of growth and achievement, recognizes its contributions to the
local and State economies, and extends its highest commendation to the
newspaper and its employees, fully confident that, in its future, it
will enjoy the same success which has so characterized its past; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of THE CITIZEN; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Jeremy Boyer, Executive Editor, and Rob Forcey, Publisher,
THE CITIZEN.