Podcast: John LoCicero takes us behind the political scenes

It was easy for John LoCicero to get lost in the outsized shadow of his boss, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. As his closest confidant, LoCicero had the often-frustrating task of fighting Koch’s battles, but also the privilege of a passenger seat view of the city as it underwent a startling transformation over the course of Koch’s three terms as mayor.

“With those first couple of years, the rule was ‘No.’ Anything anybody wanted, the answer was, ‘no,’ “ LoCicero said. “We didn’t have any money and it was getting a lot of people aggravated, but (Koch) sold the people. He’d say, ‘I need 12 years to straighten things out.’ “

LoCicero joined us on this week’s episode of The Slant Podcast to discuss Koch and share some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from his administration. LoCicero, an avid protector of Koch’s legacy, also pushed back on the persistent criticism of Koch that he had trouble connecting with communities of color.

“Ed (was) not racist, he’s nasty to everybody,” LoCicero said.

LoCicero also reveals what advice he would give Bill de Blasio as the current mayor tries to weather the storm of negative approval ratings, and a groundswell of opposition looking to oust him in 2017.

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