“How’m I doing?” Don’t ask!
Mayor Zohran Mamdani needs to take away the title of his predecessor Ed Koch from the 59th Avenue Bridge — a stance some critics say is a bridge too far.
The democratic socialist mayor, Council Speaker Julie Menin had been just some of the politicians who advised an LGBT group that they’d be in favor of canceling Koch from the bridge, additionally referred to as the Queensboro Bridge, over his alleged mishandling of the Nineteen Eighties AIDS disaster, The Submit has realized.
“Sure, I help renaming,” Mamdani mentioned on the marketing campaign path final 12 months on a questionnaire despatched by the Jim Owles Liberal LGBT Democratic Membership utilized in deciding whether or not or to not endorse a candidate.
The membership has requested candidates in the event that they supported dropping Koch, whose catchphrase was “How’m I doing?” — and if they might sponsor laws to strip his title from the span.
The Metropolis Council and then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg renamed the bridge in Koch’s honor in 2011, two years earlier than his loss of life at age 88.
Koch, a World Battle II veteran and the second Jewish Massive Apple mayor, served three phrases from 1978 to 1989.
Koch even filmed a promotional video by standing on the foot of the Queensboro Bridge and saying, “Welcome to my bridge!”
Menin, whose district contains the bridge, advised the Jim Owles Membership in her questionnaire that she was in favor of renaming the bridge merely “The 59th Avenue Bridge” however she modified her tune when contacted by The Submit on Sunday.
“Speaker Menin doesn’t help efforts to rename the Ed Koch Bridge, and wouldn’t help any laws to take action. She was approached in 2025 so as to add her title as a co-sponsor to such a invoice and declined to take action,” a Menin spokesperson mentioned.
Sixteen different Council members supported or would strongly contemplate passing laws to cancel the Koch Bridge, a evaluate of candidates on the membership’s questionnaires revealed.
Metropolis Comptroller Mark Levine and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams are additionally on the anti-Koch bandwagon. Williams boasted he voted towards the Koch bridge renaming when he served on the Metropolis Council.
Just one Council member — Virginia Maloney — gave a terse “no” to renaming the Koch bridge in her questionnaire. The membership didn’t endorse her.
Others supporting the anti-Koch motion embody:
- former Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who’s now operating because the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul
- Rep. Dan Goldman
- Democrat Brad Lander, who’s operating towards Goldman in Home District 10
- Metropolis Councilwoman and Home 7 candidate Julie Gained, who represents the Queens neighborhood on that borough’s facet of the Koch Bridge
- and Home 12 candidates Alex Bores and Jack Schlossberg
The Jim Owles Membership requested the congressional candidates this provocative query:
“In view of the truth that Ed Koch has been documented to have precipitated the deaths of scores of individuals with AIDS, excused metropolis council members who voted towards the homosexual rights invoice and was blatantly racist, would you help renaming the previous Queensboro Bridge?”
Allen Roskoff, president of the membership, defended his push to get Koch’s title faraway from the bridge. He’s been urgent candidates on the difficulty for years.
He claimed Koch did short while 1000’s of homosexual New Yorkers died of AIDS, together with his associate and the membership’s namesake, Jim Owles.
Roskoff mentioned opposing the bridge renaming is “disrespectful to 1000’s of people that died of AIDS by the hands of Ed Koch.”
“After all I would like the bridge renaming to occur,” Roskoff advised The Submit.
One veteran political marketing consultant mentioned the anti-Koch motion is cancel tradition run amok.
“That is insane. It’s nuts. Koch is lifeless. Go away him alone!” marketing consultant Hank Sheinkopf mentioned.
He mentioned Roskoff “doesn’t like Koch and received’t let go.”
New Yorkers interviewed a number of blocks from the Koch Bridge mentioned politicians ought to cease pandering on a petty subject and fear about extra urgent issues.
“It could be a criminal offense!” 40-year-old Margarita Thomas, a local of Romania, mentioned when requested in regards to the marketing campaign to take away Koch’s title from the bridge.
“They need to restore the subway, they need to clear town. They need to do away with the rats, not rename bridges. That’s completely imbecilic.”
Wilson Crow, who grew up underneath Koch’s management, mentioned the activists and politicians ought to depart him — and the bridge named after him — alone.
“They shouldn’t [rename it]. It’s no massive deal. I don’t know why they’re making a giant deal about it. It doesn’t hassle anyone,” Crow mentioned.
1000’s of New Yorkers died of AIDS, a illness unfold via intimate sexual contact and the sharing of contaminated hypodermic needles.
However Crow mentioned Koch “couldn’t cease” the AIDS disaster as a result of it was in “no person’s energy and management — AIDS is a sexual factor.”
Resident Mike Herlihy, 38,mentioned, “There’s so much greater fish to fry in New York or the world” than renaming the Koch Bridge.
“It’s wild that folks have all this vitality on issues like that,” he mentioned.
Brooklyn Councilwoman Sandy Nurse mentioned renaming the Koch Bridge was not a burning precedence.
“It’s not my hill to die on, but when individuals need help, I’m OK with that,” Nurse advised the Jim Owles Membership.
