I first saw Ed Koch in person in 1965 when he was running against Carmine DeSapio for District Leader. I realized that with only a few hundred people voting in a district election, for the first time in my life, my vote was really going to count.
We had a chance of defeating this Tammany Hall boss who always wore dark sun glasses and looked like what central casting would send up as the capo de capo of the Mafia. I arrived at VID headquarters with my neighbor Gil Williams and a very reluctant John LoCicero. We had been having a few beers in the garden and John wanted to continue groaning that the Village Italians “are never going to vote against Carmine.”
Koch made a quick indifferent talk and invited questions. John stood up and garrulously explained that he had no chance against the Italian vote. Then, enjoying the podium, did, as we squirmed in embarrassment, several variations on the theme in an unapologetic New York Italian-America accent. To our astonishment, Koch quickly asked John to stay after the meeting and the next thing we heard, John was working for Koch; he was trying to get Village Italians to vote for him. Gil and I looked at each other in speechless astonishment.
Koch did win that election by approximately 60 votes and much later, John LoCicero became his deputy mayor.
