How Bossy Was He?

These are grim times for New York political bosses. Former Speaker Sheldon Silver’s corruption trial ends on Monday. Former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ corruption trial has just begun. Former Kings County Democratic Chairman Vito Lopez is dead. Today is an for anniversary celebrating a rare win for New York reformers: on November 19, 1871, William…

Today’s Protests Are Centuries in the Making

This was first published in the Gotham Gazette on December 29, 2014. Today’s Protests are Centuries in the Making The tragic deaths of Eric Garner, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu offer New Yorkers an opportunity to have a real conversation about our city’s sordid racial history. Racial politics may have come a long way in a…