J422-2013 Actions

• Feb 5, 2013: ADOPTED
• Feb 5, 2013: REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION
• Feb 1, 2013: REFERRED TO FINANCE

J422-2013 Text

 LEGISLATIVE  RESOLUTION mourning the death of Edward I. Koch, former New
 York City Mayor and esteemed public leader
 WHEREAS, This Legislative Body, proudly representing the people  of  the
 State of New York, is moved to pause this day to recognize and pay trib
 ute  to  the life and distinguished service of Edward I. Koch, the 105th
 Mayor of the great City of New York; and
 WHEREAS, Edward I. Koch, who served three terms as Mayor of  the  City
 of  New  York,  from  January  1,  1978 until December 31, 1989, died on
 Friday, February 1, 2013, at the age of 88; and
 WHEREAS, This remarkable public leader and staunch supporter of Israel
 was well-known and admired for his whirlwind life as a television judge,
 radio talk-show host, author, law partner,  newspaper  columnist,  movie
 reviewer, professor, commercial pitchman and politician; and
 WHEREAS,  Edward I. Koch was a visionary who used his political acumen
 to bring his dreams to fruition and to blaze a trail wide enough  for  a
 generation of New Yorkers to follow; and
 WHEREAS,  The  son  of  Jewish immigrants, Louis and Joyce Silpe Koch,
 Edward I. Koch was born in Crotona Park East  in  the  Bronx,  New  York
 City,  on  December  12, 1924; he left college to serve his country as a
 member of the United States Army during World War II, earning two battle
 stars in Europe as an infantryman and  was  discharged  in  1946,  as  a
 sergeant; and
 WHEREAS,  Edward I. Koch returned to the City College of New York, and
 earned a bachelor's degree in 1981; he went on to receive his law degree
 in 1948, from New York University and was admitted to the New York State
 bar the following year; over the next 20 years, he practiced law in  New
 York  City,  becoming  a  founding partner of Koch, Lankenau, Schwartz &
 Kovner in 1963; and
 WHEREAS, Edward I. Koch was elected to the City Council in 1967, serv
 ing for two years prior to his election to the United States Congress in
 1969, representing the East  Side  of  Manhattan  with  distinction  for
 years; and
 WHEREAS,  An irrepressible icon, his 12-year mayoralty encompassed the
 fiscal austerity of the late 1970s and many other complex issues; and
 WHEREAS, Mayor Edward I. Koch is credited with leading  the  New  York
 City  government back from near bankruptcy in the 1970s to prosperity in
 the 1980s; he also began  one  of  the  City's  most  ambitious  housing
 programs,  which  continued after he left office and eventually built or
 rehabilitated more than  200,000  housing  units,  revitalizing  several
 neighborhoods; and
 WHEREAS,  As  Mayor,  Edward I. Koch held down spending, restoring the
 City's creditworthiness, and began the restoration of much of the City's
 infrastructure, including its bridges and streets; and
 WHEREAS, Re-elected in 1981, Mayor Edward I.  Koch  markedly  improved
 the  City's  finances during his second term in office; he hired workers
 back and restored many municipal services; in addition,  he  made  plans
 for  major  housing  programs,  improvements in education and efforts to
 reduce welfare dependency; and
 WHEREAS, In 1985, Edward I. Koch was elected to a third term as  Mayor
 of  the  City  of New York, during which his efforts enabled the City to
 get back into the bond markets, paving the road to recovery; the housing
 plan, based on dozens of city financing and ownership programs, became a
 notable and long-lasting success; and
 WHEREAS, By the end of the Koch administration, 3,000  apartments  had
 been  created  in  formerly  vacant  buildings,  13,000  more were under
 construction, and design work had begun on 20,000 more; and
 WHEREAS, After leaving office, Edward  I.  Koch  presented  forums  on
 television  and  radio; he also authored numerous newspaper articles for
 THE POST and THE DAILY NEWS, and magazine articles for such  periodicals
 as the JEWISH WORLD REVIEW, as well as books; and
 WHEREAS,  He became an adjunct professor at New York University, Bran
 deis University and Baruch College of the City University of  New  York,
 and gave lectures across the country; and
 WHEREAS,  Edward I. Koch made regular appearances on WCBS-TV, had talk
 shows on Fox television and on WNEW and WABC radio, teamed  with  former
 Senator  Alfonse  M.  D'Amato  for  a Bloomberg Radio program, and was a
 frequent commentator on the local news television station NY1; and
 WHEREAS, Edward I. Koch appeared, mostly as himself,  in  a  score  of
 movies,  including  "The  Muppets  Take  Manhattan" and "The First Wives
 Club," and in cameo roles on television shows, including  "Sex  and  the
 City";  he also made commercials for Coca-Cola, Snapple, FreshDirect and
 Ultra Slim-Fast; and
 WHEREAS, Furthermore, he was the star of "Koch," the documentary  film
 by Neil Barsky that had its premiere at the Museum of Modern Art; and
 WHEREAS,  Edward  I.  Koch  became  a  partner in Robinson, Silverman,
 Pearce, Aronsohn & Berman, which in a 2002 merger, became Bryan Cave, an
 international law firm and one of the largest real estate  practices  in
 New York; and
 WHEREAS,  From 1997 to 1999, he was the judge on the nationally syndi
 cated show "The People's Court"; and
 WHEREAS, Edward I. Koch continued to  write  books,  a  total  of  17,
 including  murder  mysteries  and  commentaries  on politics, rivals and
 other subjects; most were a  blend  of  his  insights,  experiences  and
 observations  with  co-authors  providing  the  workaday prose; while in
 office, he produced MAYOR (1984), POLITICS (1985) and HIS  EMINENCE  AND
 HIZZONER (1989); and
 WHEREAS,  Later came ALL THE BEST: LETTERS FROM A FEISTY MAYOR (1990),
 ED KOCH ON EVERYTHING (1994), I'M NOT DONE YET (2000) and BUZZ:  HOW  TO
 CREATE IT AND WIN WITH IT (2007); and
 WHEREAS,  Edward  I.  Koch and his sister wrote a small volume, EDDIE:

 HAROLD'S LITTLE BROTHER, a children's book that appeared in 2004; and
 WHEREAS, Predeceased by his brother, Harold M. Koch, Edward I. Koch is
 survived by his sister, Pat Koch Thaler,  a  former  dean  at  New  York
 University; and
 WHEREAS,  Rare  indeed  is  the  impressive conviction, dedication and
 commitment shown by an individual for the benefit of his  community  and
 fellow  man,  such as that which has been demonstrated by Edward I. Koch
 throughout his purposeful life and distinguished  career;  his  colorful
 character,  his  bold  spirit, and his sharp wit will be missed by many;
 now, therefore, be it
 RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause  in  its  deliberations  to
 mourn  the  death  of  Edward  I.  Koch,  former New York City Mayor and
 esteemed public leader; and be it further
 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran
 smitted to Pat Koch Thaler.

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