The fundamental question about the Koch administration is no longer why the mayor gave power to so many crooks, but exactly what happened years ago when whistleblowers, law enforcement investigators, and private citizens first tried to warn him
“The essence of the ruling was that Esposito, who has become a caricature of the county party boss, is in fact no boss at all and thus cannot be penalized for breaking state laws that limit the commercial activity of a county leader.”
“In Ed Koch's city, Stanley Friedman and Donald Manes were the twin towers of insider trading, the most powerful of the mayor's men. The just-completed trial record of their crimes is in a sense Ed Koch's third book — a candid account, at last, of his government”
“Witnesses against Friedman called him 'a stand-up guy' who had 'brass balls.' For this he deserves a certain grudging respect — and about 10 years in prison”
“The Friedman records, seized by the feds early last year, unveil the machinations of a remarkable range of prominent New Yorkers — from mobsters like Tony Salerno and Tommy Gambino to publishing giant Si Newhouse and developer king Donald Trump”
“Ed Koch, who first achieved fame by conquering Tammany Hall boss Carmine DeSapio in the early 1960s, has become DeSapio, the personification of patronage, conflicts of interest, and cynical abuse of the public trust”
Cohnhead methods emphasize the last-minute smear, the appeal to ethnic prejudice, and the judicious use of patronage: “These people are haters. They'll stop at nothing and they're crazy.”
“As in a colony, the Bronx's leadership positions are all held by outsiders (who are also white males), including the office of Democratic county leader, the borough presidency, the office of the district attorney, the Surrogate, and the majority of seats on the Democratic County Executive Committee”
