It seems inconceivable that the buoyant spirit, brash humor, infectious optimism and irrepressible candor of Ed Koch are no longer with us.
Koch, who died yesterday at 88, served three terms as one of the most critically important mayors in New York history.
And while it would be overstating things to say that he single-handedly saved the city during its darkest hour, it is doubtful many other mayors could have led New York down the path to recovery.
The passage of years has made many forget what New York was like when Koch was first elected mayor in 1977. Back then, the city had just averted bankruptcy but was still hopelessly, or so it seemed, in the red. A malaise gripped New York, a general feeling that the city was ungovernable — and increasingly unlivable.
The city’s workforce — cops, firefighters, teachers, librarians — had been slashed to the bone, along with the services they provided. The streets were filthy and seedy, the infrastructure crumbling and the graffiti-laden subways on the verge of collapse.
Crime and the homeless were everywhere; sections like Bushwick and the South Bronx were wracked by arson and neglect.
It all came crashing down in a spate of lawlessness and chaos during a Con Ed blackout that summer, memorialized well by the Post headline: “25 Hours of Terror.”
Nothing seemed to work. Even worse, nothing even seemed worth fixing.
Enter Ed Koch, with an animated public persona that hadn’t been seen around City Hall since the days of Fiorello LaGuardia.
Though a product of the Greenwich Village reform movement, then-Rep. Koch campaigned as a “liberal with sanity, ” particularly on the issues of crime and fiscal responsibility. He made no excuses for city conditions; on the contrary, he acknowledged how awful they were and spoke frankly about what City Hall could and could not do about it.
With his boundless optimism and ever-present humor, he convinced New Yorkers that their city had a bright future.
It seemed as if Koch was everywhere at once: When transit workers walked off the job for 10 days in 1980, the mayor was out on the Brooklyn Bridge every morning, greeting people as they walked into Manhattan and raising their spirits.
New Yorkers responded: In 1981, he was re-elected by a record margin, with the unprecedented backing of both major parties; four years later, he won yet again — with an even larger percentage.
That’s because he achieved results that paved the way for the later successes of Mike Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani.
Koch turned a $400 million deficit into a $500 million surplus. Once-seedy Times Square was revitalized, and 200,000 new housing units were built or rehabbed citywide. He tamed the municipal unions and reined in government-spending growth, restoring the city’s credit rating.
And his willingness to cross party lines, support Republicans and not spare Democrats his angry tongue earned him national respect — and influence.
This paper had a special relationship with Ed Koch. Indeed, his first response when told that The Post was going to deliver a front-page endorsement in 1977 was, “You’ve just elected me.”
He would later write a weekly column for these pages.
Like every other mayor, he had his share of difficulties. The paper was a big supporter of his one political miscue: running for governor in 1982, a race he lost to Mario Cuomo.
His relationship with minority community leaders was largely strained, starting with his closure of Harlem’s Sydenham Hospital — a decision he later called his biggest mistake — and including his admonition that “Jews and other supporters of Israel would be crazy to vote for Jesse Jackson” for president.
(He was particularly outspoken on Israel, castigating those, like Jimmy Carter, whom he believed were unfairly critical of the Jewish state.)
He tried, but failed, to take control of the school system, a fight won only long after he’d left office. And his insistence on holding grudges for years was often counterproductive.
Koch’s third term was marred by a corruption scandal that saw some of the city’s biggest power-brokers led away in handcuffs and then-Queens Borough President Donald Manes commit suicide.
It also sent Koch into a state of personal depression that was lifted only by the intercession of one of his closest friends, the late John Cardinal O’Connor.
Koch ran for a fourth term but lost the Democratic primary to David Dinkins.
In retirement — well, there was no retirement for Ed Koch. He practiced law, wrote books and movie reviews, hosted TV shows, filmed ads, gave speeches and was always being quoted in the press.
To the end, he remained enormously influential and even shaped national politics. In 2011 his active support played a key role in getting a Republican, Bob Turner, elected to Congress in New York’s heavily Democratic and Jewish 9th congressional district.
Koch’s support for Turner in that race was meant to send a message about President Obama’s hostility toward Israel. After the election, Koch said the president made it clear to him: Message received.
Sad to say, we’ll never again hear Koch’s trademark “How’m I doin’?” So here’s a final heartfelt answer: You did great, Ed, just great. New York thanks you. RIP.