Robert Edgar: A Forceful Nonprofit Protector of Values and Ethics

When Robert Edgar, president of Common Cause, died suddenly Tuesday morning at age 69, America lost one of its most important nonprofit leaders.

An unassuming but forceful figure in the fight for greater public accountability in politics, government, and civil society, he helped Common Cause vault into the top tier of watchdog groups in the nation. From the time he took over the group in 2007, he led the organization’s drive to promote ethics in government and push for an overhaul of the campaign and election finance system and the Congressional redistricting system.

A Methodist minister with a divinity degree from Drew University, he brought to his career as a member of Congress and a nonprofit executive the values and ethics he had absorbed during the course of his education. His deep commitment to social justice, democratic procedures, institutional integrity, and the notion of public service defined him both as a person and as a public figure. “There is no greater cause,” he once said, “than to improve our democracy and serve the public.”

His idealism, however, was tempered by a sense of pragmatism. That led him to run for Congress after stints as a Protestant chaplain at Drexel University and as a special assistant to Rep. William Gray, a Pennsylvania Democrat.

When Bob joined Congress in 1974, he became the first Democrat in 36 years to represent the seventh congressional district in Pennsylvania. During his 12-year tenure, he was in the forefront of efforts to improve public transportation and eliminate wasteful public-works projects. He was the author of the Right-to-Know provision of the Superfund legislation, which empowered members of the public to learn about hazardous wastes that could harm their neighborhoods, and was an influential member of several committees, including the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Bob’s loss in the Pennsylvania Senate race against Arlen Specter in 1986 led him into a new career in education and the ministry. He became president of the Claremont School of Theology, where, in 10 years, he brought the institution back to financial health and increased its prestige. He then took the helm of the National Council of Churches, which had suffered a period of doldrums, and helped rebuild it into an organization that focused increasingly on poverty, environmental issues, and international peace. In his 17 years there, Bob gained a well-deserved reputation as an astute teacher, solid manager, and excellent fundraiser, traits that would enhance his leadership at Common Cause.

During his absence from federal office, he nevertheless maintained his passion for politics and his distaste for the influence of big money on the electoral process. In Common Cause, he joined an organization that had similar concerns and a history of fighting for clean elections and public accountability. Bob Edgar and the citizens lobby, as Common Cause founder John Gardner called the organization, forged a happy marriage.

In a nonprofit arena where egos so often dominate, Bob’s style was one of collaboration and coalition building. He inspired trust and confidence in his leadership.

While many other national organizations ignore the grassroots, preferring to centralize advocacy work, he set out to rebuild the strength of state member organizations. And he continually involved and consulted with his board, as well as with numerous unofficial advisers.

His quiet style hid a ferocity of passion, anger at injustice and foolish politicians, and disdain for those institutions and people who refused to be publicly accountable. But he never permitted those feelings to interfere with his determination to bring about change, diplomatically if possible, hard-hitting when necessary. He often used his sense of humor as a cutting sword.

Many people never realized how articulate and eloquent he was. Bob’s gift for words and language was impressive; he could cut through complex issues and problems with clear, concise, and persuasive arguments. And he often was an eloquent speaker who needed no notes or prompts. It is this understated but enormously effective leader that many of us will remember with admiration.

He made valuable contributions to the nonprofit boards he joined over the years. When few nonprofit leaders were willing to serve on the board of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a watchdog group that often criticizes grant makers, for fear of losing some of their foundation grants, Bob never hesitated. He realized the need for public accountability in philanthropy.

When asked to serve, his response was always, “If you need me, I will gladly serve.”

Less than two months ago, Common Cause shocked many Democrats and others when it sharply attacked President’s Obama’s new advocacy group, Organizing for Action, as a thinly veiled ruse to raise big money from corporations and wealthy individuals without any transparency. Bob’s tough words were instrumental in persuading Organizing for Action to retract its decision to raise corporate money, and to disclose to the public the names of all donors of more than $250.

It was an act of individual and organizational courage that we rarely see these days. And it was a fitting finale to a life so rich and so well spent. May it be an inspiration to the nation’s citizens who desperately need courage as they start public-service careers. John Gardner would have been proud.

Pablo Eisenberg, a regular Chronicle contributor, is a senior fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. His e-mail address is pseisenberg@verizon.net.