Local politicians mourned former mayor Ed Koch today, who passed away at the age of 88.
Governor Andrew Cuomo called him “one of our most admired public leaders.”
“No New Yorker has – or likely ever will – voice their love for New York City in such a passionate and outspoken manner than Ed Koch,” Cuomo said. “New York City would not be the place it is today without Ed Koch’s leadership over three terms at City Hall.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg called him a champion for the city.
“Ed helped lift the city out of its darkest days and set it on course for an incredible comeback,” Bloomberg said. “We will miss him dearly, but his good works – and his wit and wisdom – will forever be a part of the city he loved so much.”
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance remembered Koch as someone with “wise advice” who helped reform the criminal justice system.
“Every New Yorker has the right to walk the streets of our city without fear, and all New Yorkers deserve equal access to justice,” Vance said. “We’d be far, far further from these goals today if not for Mayor Ed Koch’s foresight and vision and courage.”
Others remembered him as a legendary New Yorker, the man Bloomberg called “an irrepressible icon.”
“He was a quintessential New Yorker, a clever man and politician and possessed the chutzpah that truly made him one of the best mayors in this city’s history,” Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura said.
