New York – The topic kept coming up all the time.
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“Everybody I talked to over the past year has been saying, ‘Ugh, it’s so awful,’ ” former Mayor Edward I. Koch said recently. At lunches and dinners, in meetings with clients, law partners, fellow alumni of public service, business associations and good government groups, the conversation invariably turned to the political chaos in Albany.
“I finally said to myself, somebody’s got to do something,” Mr. Koch said. “And if no one else does anything, notwithstanding the fact I’m 85 years old, I’m going to throw myself into it.”
So Mr. Koch is assembling a coalition of powerful civic groups who, starting next week, will plot a purge of the State Legislature by taking aim at incumbents judged to be impediments to change.
“I don’t believe the good ones are good enough,” Mr. Koch said, referring to Albany lawmakers, “and the bad ones are evil.”
In a letter inviting others to the meeting, Mr. Koch, a Democrat, and the leaders of two good government groups, Citizens Union and New York Civic, make clear that their efforts are not driven by ideology.
“The key,” the letter says, “must be the defeat of those incumbents, regardless of party, who are responsible for this odious situation, and the election of new candidates, committed to a reform agenda, to take their place.”
The fledgling effort has already stirred a spirited debate among civic groups, several of whom are officially nonpartisan and do not endorse candidates. Even the agenda is in flux: Does the coalition go after every incumbent? Who would be singled out? Do they have the resources to raise money for challengers? Can they even agree on a platform?
Among the other groups that have been invited are Common Cause, the Urban League, the Hispanic Federation, the League of Women Voters and the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School.
No matter the challenges, Mr. Koch believes there has never been a more opportune time for such an ambitious endeavor. “There will never be for another 100 years the same kind of environment that we have today that would help us succeed: that is, the disgust people have toward Albany,” Mr. Koch said.
The odds are formidable.
Can someone please explain to me in “plain & simple” english, what (if not running for Governor) is he going to do?
Thanks
I would like to have my two cents heard. Where do I sign up to join this illustrious meeting?
spare us please
When Koch was mayor in the 70’s, he turned this city around and started the ball rolling for all those who followed him. At the time, the city was going down the tubes; people were fleeing for the suburbs and the sunbelt and even heilige Boro Park was in danger of becoming another Brownsville. So for someone who had a reputation as an ideological liberal, he used a lot of common sense and even some conservative ideas to turn NYC around. He may be a feigele, but when it comes to governing he made all the right decisions. Kol Hakovod, I hope he cleans up all the garbage in Albany if he becomes Governor. He certainly has my vote if I would’nt be given so much reason to be so apathetic about NY politics.
Ya gotta love a guy who could wear suspenders like that !
Beware of the “Gay” agenda by Mr. Koch. He may be getting together the very people who will pass SSM in NYS. Governor Paterson almost did. So to reiterate, although some ideas may be very welcome for the citizens of NYS there may be some very troubling moral positions bundled along with it. This is of course just a word of caution!
If I remember correctly Mr Koch had the most corrupt set of city commissioners in NYC history. He is going to clean up Albany? Pu-lease!
We’ve had Techias HaMaisim. The Kochke woke up. We don ‘t miss you in New York City and just stay out of New York State affairs because you will just mess it up more. After all you supported Hussein Obama.
Re; to # 1 “I am going to throw myself into it ” I hope he gets some help .
The way I read it, Mr. Koch. He wants to get rid of the people in Albany who are ineffective, incompetent, corrupt and looking out for themselves, not the public, of either political party.
I completely approve of that idea – a public position is not a lifetime job but the State Senators and Assembly n Albany and the Senators and Congressmen in DC seem to thinkl it is a permanent job. If you become too comfortable in the job and stop working for the people who elected you and start telling them they do not know what is good for them, you need to be given a private job in November. I hope Mr. Koch and his committee can help NY State survive.
Hey , Ed Koch. Don’t be a koch-er leffel.