Legendary NY mayor Ed Koch mentors Boris

With the former Spectator editor Boris Johnson (right) all but confirmed as the new Mayor of London, The First Post tracked down the legendary New York mayor Ed Koch (left) to ask what advice he might have.

Koch, now in his 80s, who ran Gotham from 1978 to 1989, wasn't totally sure who Boris was. But he was very clear that he had no respect for the incumbent and that London needs a change of leader. "Livingstone is too brusque, he has no respect for his people," he said. "As a mayor you're the servant of the people. New Yorkers understood that. They could come down and punch me anytime. Then I'd punch them back. They knew that. It was part of the deal."
 
So what does Boris need to know? "It's all about accountability," said Koch. "I was at every criminal incident, every fire. I went to a fire on 51st Street and I had a cell phone when that was a novelty and I'm handing it around to people so they could call their relatives and they loved me. Then the new Cardinal, John Cardinal O’Connor, comes down the street. I think, uh-ho. I hear him tell a reporter that he's there not as Archbishop but as parish priest and I think: I'm in trouble. Parish priest. That's what you have to be as mayor.
 
"Being a big city mayor is the best job in the world. It's very simple. Listen: if you don't like the President, you've got to take a $400 air fare to Washington and picket the White House. You don't like what I'm doing, you take a $3 subway trip and come see me. A mayor engages everyone in conversation. You're held responsible for the good and the bad. If a sparrow has a heart attack in Central Park, it's your fault. I loved that and that’s why New Yorkers love me."
 
Phew. A healthy ego obviously helps, too. ·