Mr. New York

The life and times of an instrumental figure in New York City's recovery from the fiscal and social crises of the 1970s and 1980s, and in the general revitalization of the city over two generations.Lew Rudin was one of New York City's most influential power brokers in the latter part of the twentieth century, but he was also one of its most indefatigable boosters. Born in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx on April 4, 1927, Rudin rose to become cochairman, with his brother, Jack, of one of New York's oldest real estate dynasties, Rudin Management. It is for his civic involvement, however, that he is best remembered. Whether helping to get the New York City Marathon off the ground, or rallying corporate and labor leaders to come to the city's aid during the fiscal crises of the 1970s, Rudin worked tirelessly on behalf of the city he loved. The Association for a Better New York, which he founded in 1971 in response to growing concerns about the city's decline, continues to play a vital role in virtually every area of municipal life, from transportation to education.In Mr. New York, Seymour P. Lachman chronicles Rudin's life and interesting times, and his love affair with the city he never ceased to believe in. Drawing on published materials as well as personal interviews with family members, business associates, and federal, state, and city officials, Lachman paints a portrait of a man who, by the time of his death in 2001, had truly earned the nickname Mr. New York.Seymour P. Lachman served as President of the New York City Board of Education and University Dean of the City University of New York before being elected to the New York State Senate, where he served five terms. With Robert Polner, he is the author of The Man Who Saved New York: Hugh Carey and the Great Fiscal Crisis of 1975 (also published by SUNY Press) and Three Men in a Room: The Inside Story of Power and Betrayal in an American Statehouse. He is currently Dean of the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College, Staten Island, where he is also a Distinguished University Professor of Government in Residence.