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The Forum’s Frank Conversation with Mayor Edward Koch

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Conversation with Edward Koch

During last week’s Conversation with Ed Koch, moderated by Forum Director and Fordham Law School Professor Thane Rosenbaum, the famously outspoken former mayor demonstrated that both his wit as well as his frank opinions remain as sharp and engaging as ever.

For further coverage of the Forum’s entertaining Conversation with Ed Koch, please take a look at the following:

Capital writer Dan Rosenblum recaps the many topics of discussion on which Ed Koch provided his candid appraisal.

Fordham University’s eNewsroom also detailed the spirited discussion.

And just to allow Mayor Koch the final word, we recommend exploring Koch’s own prolific writing, in which he further explores many of the topics discussed during last week’s Conversation, including his support for President Obama‘s reelection in 2012, the Occupy Wall Street movement, the need to keep investigating those responsible for the economic crises, and his preference for what he refers to as a “Flatter Tax.”  In addition, Koch not only maintains a busy Twitter account, but he also hosts his own webcast, “The Mayor at the Movies,” on which he offers his critical reviews on contemporary films.

At the end of the night, Koch asked the audience for business cards to add them to the distribution list for his weekly movie review email. newsletter. As people filtered out, the former mayor stood by the elevator bank taking business cards.
“Emails,” he repeatedly yelled, as people took pictures and gave him their contact information.
Source: Koch recalls conversations with Bloomberg and with Obama, who he thinks is ‘very lucky’ | Capital New York – http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/01/5094409/koch-recalls-conversations-bloomberg-and-obama-who-he-thinks-very-l

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A Conversation with Mayor Ed Koch

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Last night the Forum proudly welcomed former New York City Mayor Edward Koch.  Throughout his conversation with Director Thane Rosenbaum, Mayor Koch, now 88 years old, proved that he had lost none of the charm and charisma that had made him one of the most popular mayors in the city’s history.

Koch held the packed audience in rapt attention, offering humorous anecdotes and a level of candor rarely heard from a politician, as he commented on such issues as: the coarseness of modern day politics; the Republican presidential candidates (he predicts that Mitt Romney “notwithstanding stupid errors” will win the nomination); former Governor and Forum guest Eliot Spitzer (“superb governor” with “an obsession he couldn’t control”); the Occupy Wall Street movement; his tenure as Judge on “The People’s Court” (“I don’t think judges should scream”; his failed campaign for governor (“the idea of being in Albany was ridiculous”); as well as his support for Israel and the reelection of President Obama.

Elected to Mayor during a low point in the city’s history, Koch admitted that he had been “scared to death” of the task that lay ahead.  He had envisioned the overarching goal of his mayorship to be “to make people feel proud once again,” and “to give them a sense of pride for being New Yorkers.”  Reminiscing on his three terms in office, the former mayor had every reason to be proud, for he few could argue that he had fulfilled this mandate, having reenergized the city and its citizens.

We at the Forum thank Mayor Koch for a wonderful and unforgettable evening.

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A Conversation with Mayor Ed Koch

Monday, November 28th, 2011

By Ben Falk

Ed Koch has done a lot of things. He was a soldier. He was a U.S Congressman. He was reelected three times as Mayor of New York City. He was the judge on the television series “The People’s Court.” He is a movie critic. He is a lifelong advocate for the people of New York City.

By doing a lot of things, Koch has lived quite the life. He was born in the Bronx, but raised in Newark, New Jersey. Eventually, after high school, he was drafted into the Army and fought in World War II. He landed in France a few months after Normandy and earned numerous medals during the war. Then in 1969 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 17th District of New York. In Congress, he was an opponent of the Vietnam War and a strong supporter of civil rights. He stayed in Congress until 1977, when he ran, beating incumbent mayor Abe Beam, and was elected Mayor of New York City. He remained Mayor until 1989. While his life as a public servant may have been over, he was no less busy. He taught at Brandeis, writes movie reviews for The Huffington Post, writes restaurant reviews, and continually lectures on countless issues.

Luckily for the Forum on Law, Culture and Society, he will do one more thing: participate in the Forum’s conversation series. He is the perfect Forum guest. His years in public life give him a unique perspective on the issues facing New Yorkers. However, this isn’t totally unique. There are a lot of people in public life and a lot of those people have joined us at the Forum. What is so unique about Mayor Koch is his ability is to speak intelligently on political, legal, and cultural issues – really, any relating to law, culture and society. Just like the Forum.

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