David Dinkins and New York City Politics

Wilbur C. Rich

Description

As the first African American elected mayor of New York City, David Dinkins underwent intense scrutiny—first from the black community, then from white liberal supporters, the media, and the city's electorate. Wilbur C. Rich focuses on the critical role played by the New York City media in the perception of mayoral leadership. Using interviews and words of journalists, Rich examines media coverage as both the architect and challenger of Dinkins' image. The making and unmaking of David Dinkins not only exposes much about the agency of African American politicians, but also reveals the fragility of electoral coalitions.

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. The Making of a New York Black Politician: David Dinkins

3. David Dinkins and Regime Change

4. The Staffing of Dinkins’ City Hall

5. Racial Events, Diplomacy, and Dinkins’ Image

6. Who Runs the City? Union Bosses or the Mayor?

7. Crime Coverage, Mayoral Images, and Signaling

8. The Turmoil of School Politics 

9. Conclusion

Notes
Index

Sujets

• USA
• United States of America
• Region
• Regional
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791480793
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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D A V I D D I N K I N S A N D N E W Y O R K C I T Y P O L I T I C S

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DAV I D D I N K I N S A N D N E W Y O R K C I T Y P O L I T I C S R AC E , I M AG E S, A N D T H E M E D I A

W I L B U R C . R I C H

S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W YO R K P R E S S

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2007 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rich, Wilbur C. David Dinkins and New York City politics: race, images, and the media / Wilbur C. Rich. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6949-1 (hardcover: alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-7914-6949-2 (hardcover: alk. paper) 1. Dinkins, David N. 2. New York (N.Y.)—Politics and government—1951– 3. Press and politics—New York (State)—New York. I. Title. F128.54.D56R53 2007 974.7'044092—dc2 2006003063

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C O N T E N T S

List of Illustrationsvii Prefaceix Acknowledgmentsxiii Introduction 1 1. The Making of a New York Black Politician: 2. David Dinkins 24 David Dinkins and Regime Change 63 3. The Staffing of Dinkins’ City Hall 82 4. Racial Events, Diplomacy, and Dinkins’ Image 103 5. Who Runs the City? Union Bosses or the Mayor? 131 6. Crime Coverage, Mayoral Images, and Signaling 145 7. The Turmoil of School Politics 165 8. Conclusion 184 9. Notes207 Index233

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I L L U S T R AT I O N S

Photographs

David Dinkins and Percy Sutton, February 15, 1990

Ed Koch and David Dinkins

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New York Democrats with David Dinkins

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Fred Ferrer, David Dinkins, Jose Serrano, and George Friedman

David Dinkins on election night

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David and Joyce Dinkins on election night

David Dinkins and Nelson Mandela

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Raymond Flynn, Tom Bradley, Richard M. Daley, and David N. Dinkins, all mayors of U.S. cities73

Mayor David Dinkins, daily press briefing, City Hall

Tables

2.1 General Election Results, 1989

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7.1 Types and Rate of Crimes, 1990–1994

Figure

9.1 Media Relationship with David Dinkins

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P R E FA C E

Journalist Robert Turner once asserted, “Mayors are chronicled 1 by novelists but ignored by political scientists.” I am a political scientist who has spent most of his career watching and writing about mayors. Yet I do agree that mayors are “character actors of 2 politics.” They are certainly not the lead actors or stars of the American political theater. Occasionally, a city mayor appears on the political stage, attracts a large following, and is able to speak to the American people at large. Richard J. Daley of Chi- cago, Coleman Young of Detroit, Sam Yorty of Los Angeles, and Rudolph Giuliani of New York are examples of mayors who achieved national visibility. This book is about the political image of David Dinkins, the first African American mayor of New York City. It does not at- tempt to explore all aspects of New York City politics. Politics is just part of what is happening between a political leader and constituencies. Obviously the most attentive constituency is the media. This project began as an attempt to understand the media’s interpretation of what can now be called the “Dinkins interregnum” between white mayors of the city. This research project began as an attempt to deconstruct journalists’ understandings of the politics of New York City. As I delved further into the writing process, I realized that I needed to include more contextual information about the political career of David Dinkins and the media’s reaction to him. For this I gained much insight from psychology, sociology, advertising, and so- cial construction theory scholars. So the story that is developed in this book is one of media meanings and perceptions. I have always wondered how media stories are constructed and why