Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Edward KocheEdward Koche
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Session:         Page of 617

had to support everything that I was saying. People today at the subways will say to me that they remember me in a very nice way, that they support me because I saved them from being evicted, because it was as a result of my efforts, after I was elected, that the city council and the state legislature ultimately enacted legislation which created rent stabilization. And I remember the biggest thing for me was when I announced what I was doing, the Daily News put a box on page two: “Koch calls for rent stabilization,” or words to that effect, limiting rents to I think they said no more than 10%. And then later I said to myself, “Why make it 10%? Let's make it 5%?” If 10% is good, 5% is better. (laughs) And in effect that's what ultimately became the law. I'm very proud of that. I think it's a very decent law, too, and the landlords have never objected to it because they said it was fair. It doesn't prevent regular increases, and I think that's reasonable.

I also ought to tell you what happened during the Congressional race that I thought was the coup of the year. My campaign chairman was John Lankenau, who was then my partner my law partner, a very intense guy and a very able guy. And Seymour's campaign chairman was Bob Ruskin, who later became the city investigator under Lindsay in the department of investigation -- the commission. He's now in the private practice of law. He's a very decent guy, and he's also a member of the State Investigation Commission, the SIC, a panel member; and the chairman of





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help