Former Mayor Ed Koch Plans Coup To Retake Albany

Photograph of Ed Koch, taken in 2001, by zsumoz on Flickr

With Albany crippled by ethics scandals and general political inaction, former Mayor Ed Koch told the Times it's his duty to shake things up. "Everybody I talked to over the past year has been saying, 'Ugh, it's so awful,'" said Koch. "I finally said to myself, somebody's got to do something ... And if no one else does anything, notwithstanding the fact I'm 85 years old, I'm going to throw myself into it."

Koch is planning on bringing together a coalition of civic groups that will work together to unseat incumbents who aren't committed to reform. "The key 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," he wrote in a letter, along with the leaders of the good government groups Citizens Union and New York Civic. It's unclear exactly which state politicians he'll target, but Koch—who has recently been spending his time preparing his gravestone—told the paper: "I don't believe the good ones are good enough, and the bad ones are evil."

That said, Koch hopes that the push for reform will inspire change in candidates who have stood in the way. "It's possible that the defeat of a few will turn the others into reformers." Though only 39 incumbents have lost in elections since 1982 and more than half who ran in 2008 won by more than 80 percent of the vote, Koch says now is the time for action: "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."

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By Ben Muessig in News on March 4, 2010 6:20 PM

Comments [rss]

ANGRYGOD11

Ed Koch was always personally an honest man. But, his administration was very corrupt. And the rest of the state couldn't care less about the opinions of an ex-mayor of NYC from way back. So, he might not be the right man for this mission.

marile

If this is the start of a movement, I'd like to know where to sign up?

MT

Where can I sign on?

pal

koch wants to fix things in albany, meanwhile he sucks up to power-hungry bloomberg so he can stay relevant in his old age.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Go away Koch, you were the one championing for Bloomberg who overturned term limits for his own self-interest.

Splicer

He's back is he? I'll have to re-read City For Sale to freshen my memory of him.

soimajazz

Hmmm. really great and so informative post, i want to see How can they reverse the frames,

Bright Star Smile

Jackie Curtis

I love me some Ed Koch.

xx

I will not be voting for any incumbents. Kick them all out, they're not doing a thing but collecting paychecks from our money anyway.

Machonachos

with suspenders like those he cant lose.

JenChungsBaby

Go, Ed, Go!

Thinky Think

Guess what? Politics will never change. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

This is not a issue that is new it has been going on ever since the beginning of time. I do wish him luck..

HOTCUP

dude is 9 years older than he is in that photo.

Snoopy

Go get them Uncle Ed.

Chuck Schumer's Fat

If Koch has truly reformed and repents for selling out NYC to people like Donald Trump, I'd love to hear him say: Let's start with SHELDON SILVER.

Spirit of 76

"I don't believe the good ones are good enough, and the bad ones are evil."

Very few good people want to run for office, and understandably so. It's a horrible job where the public hates you if you tell them the truth, everybody's digging for trash on you and you'll probably be shunned and isolated amongst a gaggle of absolute crooks so you can't get anything done. That's why power-hungry, money-grubbing weasels are the rule rather than the exception in government everywhere. You couldn't pay me enough to run for office.

Jim

It's not this bad in other states. In Minnesota for example (where I grew up), state office was viewed as a part time position and career politicians at the state level were the exception. Many were practicing lawyers and viewed their political work as pro bono. Here, state politicians view their office as a personal cookie jar -- it's time to throw the bums out!

bitchincamaro

So rarely do I agree with this old codger, but I gotta say, Mayor How'm I Doin'? has accurately assessed the abortion known as Albany government. Every single one of the useless incumbents in the assembly and the senate needs to be purged from their posts, poste haste. How to do that? Well, that's the problem. Ed's got no real plan for that, but his heart, and big mouth, are in the right place. Mazel tov, you old fuck.