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but I owed him nothing and he owed me nothing certainly. The fact is I always viewed him as an extension of Carmine. But I never viewed him as corrupt. Carmine was corrupt. So I said, “Sure.” And I got into a press release operation with Begun. I even had a press conference up there, and then three days later Rossetti wins 75 to 25. So you can see what bad judgment Marty Begun has. And I thought to myself: “Jesus Christ, he dragged me into this thing.” I mean I didn't have to have that. Anytime you get involved in a primary with people that you're against or who are against you, you're never forgiven. You're never forgiven. It's an enormous, special kind of battle. I really was very upset.

And so I mended my fences with Frank. In the beginning I would sort of be jocular. When I would meet him, I would say, “How's my favorite county leader?” and he'd look at me like I was a nut. “You're favorite county leader!” He could kill me. Here I'd come out against him, and I wasn't involved in that race. Why would I get involved in that?

Well, I never forgot that. And when Begun calls me I said, “I'm not getting involved in that race ever again against him.” And the reason is (1) he has made clear (and I've had conversations with Rossetti) that he's willing to share the power in this county. This county can't be united; it's made up of regulars, reformers and blacks in almost equal proportions