Ed Koch Is Not Happy
Hell hath no fury like a loud former New York City mayor with a platform scorned.
Ed Koch, the driving force behind the NY Uprising reform pledge, released a blistering statement this afternoon on the proposed redistricted maps, saying that “Today, victory lies with the Enemies of Reform.”
Koch assembled a Manichean list of good guys and bad guys in 2010. The good guys were the ones who signed his pledge, which included state support for independent redistricting. The bad guys (or “Enemies of Reform”) were the ones who did not sign the pledge.
Here’s the full statement, which you can feel free to read aloud in your best Ed Koch impression:
“No surprise, I am disappointed in this result and in the dishonorable lawmakers who openly pledged to do things differently this year, and then reneged when it wasn’t to their political advantage. What a shame: this is not reform in letter or in spirit. Today, victory lies with the Enemies of Reform.
“Governor Cuomo ran for office pledging to reform the way our state works, and to date, he’s kept his word. His decision now — whether to honor his pledge and veto the gerrymandered map or whether to allow the legislature to get away with a self-serving map — is a key test of his leadership. Just this afternoon the Governor said his position has not changed, which I applaud him for, and I have every confidence he will keep his word to the people of New York and veto the proposed maps.
“I have no regrets about taking on this battle; I know that the fight for reform is a long war, and I care too much about New York to stand aside. I am proud that we have focused New Yorkers’ attention on redistricting, which will carry enormous consequences for years to come.”
Earlier today Senate Democrats cheerfully passed around the letter to Koch that then-Minority Leader Dean Skelos signed in 2010 that stated his support for independent redistricting come this year.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Nick Reisman on January 26, 2012 at 3:09 pm, and is filed under Redistricting. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |
Comments are closed.


Take Capital Tonight and the State of Politics blog with you everywhere you go with our iPhone app! The mobile application features our blog posts, interviews, and a report news tool to send us your political news tips.