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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

Koch:

Yes. The role of district leader as the reform movement espoused it and as I stated it on so many occasions (I remember over and over again on the Barry Gray show, in which I spent a great deal of time in that race) -- my debate with Carmine on the question of district leadership was the following: His position was that the district leader leads, decides policy and makes the decisions. That was basically his position. My position was: a district leader educates and carries out the role of the Democrats as expressed through the Democratic club, tries to lead by way of example, education, persuasion, but ultimately carries out the decisions of the club. My position today is a little bit different than my position at that time. It's closer to Carmine's. (laughs) Which is that there has to be more leadership in the leaders, and I distinguish between bosses and the leadership, but there has to be a greater thrust on the part of those who are elected, and you don't govern by committee. You ought to take all those things into consideration; you ought to try to persuade -- but I have not felt bound by decisions of the club since I came out for Lindsay in 1965 when I was district leader, and the club at that time, while it did not support Beame, who was the mayoralty candidate of the Democratic party -- they had taken no position basically -- and I came out, as you know, the day before the election with Carol Greitzer in support of Lindsay. From that point on it was easy. (laughs)





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