My Turn with Mark J. Yablonsky

Remembering Ed Koch
Sometimes, great leaders are made, not born. Other time, it's the other way around. But for Ed Koch, who died on Feb. 1 at the age of 88, great leadership came from a good moral sense of what was right, what was needed and what was fair.

Koch, the former mayor of New York City (Jan. 1, 1978-Dec. 31, 1989) came to office at a time when New York was on the verge of bankruptcy after more than a decade of mismanagement and incompetence, and quickly realized what was wrong and how best to fix it. He also knew that if the Big Apple ever did go into bankruptcy, it might never really emerge the same again. So right away, he got to work. He quickly saw that New York had been spending well more than it could afford to and his first response was to teach others how to say no - and learn to like it. It wasn't very long before various unions began screaming at budget time and kept demanding more, not less. And as I followed on television, I quickly saw that New York had what it so desperately craved: good, sound fiscal management. One time, after a particularly tough day when some unions were threatening to bring in bigwigs from everywhere to intervene, Koch, in his typical candid manner, responded quite emphatically that "I don't care if they bring in Godzilla. We cannot give what we do not have." And that alone began to make its mark, along with Koch's unwavering support for Israel and the New York, the city he loved so much and was unwilling to see go to ruin. Yes, he made enemies like any politician can, but Koch, like a local mayor right in our own area, was strong enough not to be a politician, but rather, to be a dedicated public servant who cared about doing what was right.

Koch, much like Abraham Lincoln, had a terrific sense of humor, and was usually good with anecdotes and even a little self-depracating humor if he thought it appropriate. But like Lincoln, who was unshaken in his commitment to save the Union, Koch was equally as committed to saving the city. Of course, he was also concerned about what others thought of his job performance and became a fixture in time by asking "Hey, how am I doing?" In time, most people, even those with whom he had disagreed, began saying, "you're doing just fine." After four years when it became clear that New York was pulling far away from talk of bankruptcy, Koch was so well regarded that in 1981 he ran for re-election with the support of both the Democratic and Republican parties. He decided to run for New York governor in 1982, when he eventually lost to his old 1977 mayoral rival, Mario Cuomo in the gubernatorial primary. But he was beyond gracious in his defeat and quickly returned to being mayor.

He wasn't afraid to make the decisions that needed to be made, and he wasn't forced into inertia by worrying about the next election. Indeed, early in his first term, when asked a question along these lines, Koch responded, "I can get a better job, but you won't get a better mayor."

After being defeated by David Dinkens in the 1989 Democratic mayoral primary, he quickly re-adjusted to private life again, going back to law practice and authoring books. But he was always available for news interviews whenever necessary because he wouldn't cut out early from work, a point made well by Mark Simone, today's best on-air non-sports interviewer.

And then eventually, he got old, got sick and died, just like everyone else. But he will never be forgotten. "We're all doing fine, but we all miss you," said former president Bill Clinton during Koch's funeral on Feb. 4.

Indeed, we all miss you, Mr. Mayor. And thank you so very much - just for being you.