Mayor Koch saved the City of New York from bankruptcy and in doing so restored the pride of New Yorkers. During his three terms as Mayor from 1978-1989, he restored fiscal stability to the City of New York, and he was responsible for placing the City on a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) balanced budget basis. He created a housing program which, over a ten-year period, provided more than 150,000 units of affordable housing financed by City funds in the amount of $5.1 billion. He created for the first time in New York City a merit judicial selection system and selected some of the most outstanding public servants to serve in his administration.
Prior to being Mayor, Mr. Koch served for nine years as a Congressman and two years as a member of the New York City Council. He attended City College of New York from 1941 to 1943. In his last year of college, he was drafted into the Army where he served with the 104th Infantry Division. He served in the European Theater of Operations, received two battle stars, the Combat Infantry badge, and he was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1946. In that year, he also attended the New York University School of Law. He received his LL.B. degree in 1948 and began to practice law immediately thereafter.
He is currently a partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP. He hosts a Friday evening call-in radio program on Bloomberg AM 1130 (WBBR) and is also a commentator on that same station. Mr. Koch appears weekly on NY1 television with former Senator Alfonse D’Amato. He lectures around the country, writes a weekly commentary, and his weekly movie reviews are published in The Villager.
In 2004, Mr. Koch was appointed by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell as Chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the Conference on Anti-Semitism sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The conference, held in April 2004 in Berlin, Germany, was extraordinarily successful in binding the 55 member nations in their resolve to reduce and seek the elimination of rising anti-Semitism by enacting civil legislation and educating the youth throughout the world of the dangers of anti-Semitism. He is known and praised as a public figure with the common touch, a leader who is a “voice of reason.” In April 2005, he was appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by President George W. Bush for a five-year term.
Additionally, Mr. Koch is the author of numerous books which include Mayor, Politics, His Eminence And Hizzoner, All The Best, Citizen Koch, Ed Koch On Everything, Giuliani Nasty Man, I’m Not Done Yet: Remaining Relevant, Buzz: How to Create It and Win with It, and two children’s books which he co-authored with his sister, Pat Koch Thaler: Eddie, Harold’s Little Brother, and Eddie’s Little Sister Makes a Splash. His most recent book is entitled The Koch Papers: My Fight Against Anti-Semitism.
Suggested Speech Topic:
Ed Koch on Everything
Reflecting on his diverse experiences as a political figure, lawyer, arts and restaurant critic, and author, Mr. Koch addresses contemporary issues including everything from his national political insights and vision of metropolitan leadership to poignant personal stories and anecdotes on food, film, and media.
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