NYP: GIULIANI'S LEGACY (with link to book excerpt)

New York Post ^ | June 7, 2005 | Editorial

[OESY]

Today, Post Opinion begins publishing something unusual for these pages: four days of excerpts from the new book, "The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life," by Fred Siegel.

Why is this so important? Because it offers some important context for this year's mayoral race, pitting Giuliani's successor, Michael Bloomberg, against four Democrats who seek to replace him.

When Giuliani took office, New York's prospects were so grim that even so prescient an analyst as the late Sen. Pat Moynihan glumly warned that salvation would not take "less than 30 years."

Under mayors like John Lindsay, Abe Beame and David Dinkins, New York was seen as ungovernable — too big, too complicated and too broken ever to be made to function like a normal city.

Time has a way of dimming the memory of those awful times. But as Siegel reminds us, the city was averaging five murders a day, with one in six residents on the dole.

No one thought the city could be saved — no one, save Rudy Giuliani.

That he did so, and in a strikingly short time, is a testament to Giuliani's determination and refusal to bow to conventional wisdom. He did so by stepping on toes, by refusing to tax the city into fiscal oblivion and by declaring that he would not tolerate a mounting crime rate.

Most of all, Giuliani refused to play by the accepted rules of the game. And he simply refused to accept the notion that New York City is ungovernable.

But it's important to remember that Rudy Giuliani's successes are not, in and of themselves, necessarily permanent....

[OESY]

In this book, Siegel — a professor at Cooper Union and senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute — documents Rudy Giuliani's historic eight-year mayoralty and analyzes the reasons for its remarkable success. BOOK EXCERPT: 'ARMY OF ONE'

[OESY]

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who held veto power over the stadium, said yesterday that he could not support the project on the West Side, along with the large commercial redevelopment plan the mayor has proposed, because it would undermine the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan, his district.

* * *

NYT Headline: I.O.C. Praises Paris's Bid; New York's Is in Disarray



COMMENT: Building the stadium was not going to garner much public support unless actions were taken to relieve traffic congestion on NYC's westside. Thus, the battle for the stadium was lost back in the 1970's when a federal court caused NYC to forego $10+ billion to build the Westway (highway) in order to protect its Hudson River stripped bass. The ruling was a monumental victory for environmentalists and a monumental defeat for the City That Never Sleeps and its dreams to bring the NY Jets to Manhattan, as well as the Olympics in 2012.

See also WEST SIDE BLUES, by John Podhoretz

[Alberta's Child]

New York was seen as ungovernable — too big, too complicated and too broken ever to be made to function like a normal city.

In fact, New York City is ungovernable by American standards. Giuliani's tenure as mayor -- while successful by all statistical measures -- was nothing more than a confirmation of this brutal reality. New York City is only "governable" because it is effectively a police state, with a police department of around 40,000 officers and the kinds of restrictive, totalitarian measures (gun control, anti-smoking laws, etc.) that would make this city perfectly comfortable under King George III.

[DocH]

BRAVO Alberta's Child. VERY well said.

What true, freedom-loving American would want to live in the police state that is the Peoples Republic of New York City, complete with it's demonRAT and RINO "leadership"?

[Liz]

Oh, I dunno, Rudy had a few good moments......but just a few, mind you (snicker).

[DocH]

Rudy the RINO as a cross-dresser?

Glad I already ate lunch!