good morning It’s Tuesday. Today we’ll look at “The Power Broker” by Robert Caro, which has its 50th anniversary this month, and hear what it means to New York officials.
Once you read “The Power Broker” it’s hard not to see Robert Moses’ legacy everywhere you look.
I Read the book In 2016 when I reported Second Avenue Subwaywhich opened nearly a century later in Manhattan. I wanted to know why New York City stopped expanding the subway in the 1960s and learned about Moses’ car-loving reign, painstakingly detailed in 1,246 pages by Robert Caro.
As the book hits its 50th anniversary this month, it’s still a favorite in political circles and serves as a Rorschach test for diagnosing what ails the city and how to fix it.
Brad Lander, the city controller who is running for mayor next year against Eric Adams, read it with a group of young organizers in 1993 and immediately took a daylong driving tour of the places mentioned in the book “touching all five boroughs, and ending at Randall. The island, where Moses collected the tolls that were the coins of his kingdom.
His main takeaway? City planners have “a vision for the growth of our city that is built with its residents, not by a road over them.”
Another mayoral candidate, state senator Zellnor Myri of Brooklyn, said what stuck with him was that “local government can either be an immeasurable force for long-term good, or, with short-sightedness, lack of inclusion and arrogance, a May cause permanent damage.”
Genno Lieber, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said his lesson was that “anyone who shares Moses’ view that mass transit is the past and not the future will be proven wrong.”
Adams was less impressive, telling reporters recently that he had read the book, but had “no feedback” on what it meant to him.
Another mayoral challenger, Scott Stringer, said the book shows how “land use and zoning, without proper checks and balances, can have long-term, dire consequences for urban planning.”
Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens who is considering a run for mayor, said she read the book “from the perspective of someone who grew up in the segregated town that Mose created.” She said she wonders why the candidates Frame the book on video calls: “Is it there because you praise Cairo or because you praise Moses?”
And who is today’s Robert Moses?
Former Governor Andrew M. So was Cuomo Ambitious And ruthless.
The lander is named Dan DoctoroffFormer Mayor Michael R. A top official under Bloomberg, as the leader closest to Moses in his impact on the city: “But I’m happy to say that he’s been inclusive and sustainable enough to focus more on developing over the course of his career.”
Justin Brannon has been named the powerful chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee Jax JihaDirector of the city’s Office of Budget and Management under Adams, as the modern Moses. Jiha has overseen budget cuts to libraries and free preschools and reshaped city government.
Brannon said he read the book while growing up in the shadow of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn, a major project of Moses’, and that he still hopes for a movie version directed by Oliver Stone, which It was announced in 2011 by HBO.
For now, there is A special exhibit at the New York Historical Society And A A podcast dissecting the book.
Some Caro fans are more die-hard than others, and we tend to find each other. Monica Klein, a Democratic political consultant, is part of a group chat devoted to analyzing the book. They also have matching black baseball caps with red letters that say: “The Power Broker Book Club.”
This summer, when Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly repealed congestion pricing — a plan that would have tolled cars entering Manhattan to pay for subway upgrades — Klein texted me: “Robert Moses must be rejoicing.”
the weather
Expect sunny days with highs in the mid-70s and light winds. Temperatures will drop into the low 60s overnight under clear skies.
Optional side-parking
Effective from September 3.
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Metropolitan Diary
A quick April day
Dear Diary:
Hard to believe it was the middle of April. The clouds were low, the temperature was brisk, the sun had set.
It was between times. After work, before drinks. The sidewalks were empty. Traffic was light.
I went out for a quick errand. I wore a spring-weight fleece jacket and wished I had worn gloves.
As I walked, I saw a man standing on a corner about 20 feet away. I was struck by her clothes: a winter jacket and a knitted hat.
“It’s cold,” I said.
“It is,” he said.
We should wear gloves, I said.
My sentence was cut off by the rumble of a barrel filling truck down the avenue.
The man’s hand shot out as he looked at me.
“Go back,” he said.
I did as I was told.
He started pecking his pants. His expression suggests that he is trying to solve a puzzle. His fingers reached into one of his pockets, and he pulled something out: a pair of gloves. He offered me as we started to cross the street.
“This is New York,” I said, taken aback by his expression. “You’re a New Yorker.”
He looked over his shoulder at me and nodded once. Then he raised his hand, waved and moved on.
– Betsy Patrick
Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here And Read more Metropolitan Diaries here.
Glad we could get together here. James Barron returns tomorrow. – EF
PS Here is today’s Mini crossword And Spelling b. You can find all our puzzles here.
Luke Caramanico and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team [email protected].
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