Changing New York City Politics

In this analysis of how David Dinkins became New York City's first black mayor, the authors, members of the Wagner Institute of the City University of New York, recount that New York has been victimized by the forces of deindustrialization, white flight, ethnic and racial tensions, class polarization and financial disaster. Dinkins's victory was predicated on a unique set of circumstances, including the length of his predecessor Edward I. Koch's incumbency and the rampant corruption that became apparent late in his administration. The authors argue that Dinkins was able to defeat Koch in the primary and Rudolph Giuliani in the general election because of support from Latino voters and from white voters who characterize themselves as ``very liberal.'' The other message of the book is that New York is less black, more Latino, less Protestant, and more Catholic and Jewish--and more liberal--than other large American cities, which in turn are more liberal politically than the rest of the country. Useful as it may be for specialists, this dry and repetitive volume drains the color out of New York's rough-and-tumble political wars. (Nov.)