Oral history interview with William Rauch [electronic resource], 1992

Biographical Note

Press Secretary.

Scope and Contents

First meeting with Edward I. Koch [Koch], summer 1977; 1977 mayoral campaign,; duties as Koch advance man, 1978-1981; description of Queens Civic Organization and Koch's relationship with unions; transit strike, utilization of media coverage to settle; closing of Sydenham Hospital; Koch pronouncements on relations among Blacks and Jews, loss of support of Black leadership; selection of seven co-equal deputy mayors in first term, competition among, subsequent elimination of four positions, implementation of first deputy mayor system, second term re-election campaign, appointment of Rauch as press secretary, duties; reorganization of mayoral office in second term; attempts to restructure New York City debt, focus on real estate development; impact of Playboy interview on 1983 gubernatorial campaign, tensions with Mario Cuomo; municipal scandals of mid-eighties; Koch's inability to track and control corruption within New York City agencies and independently elected officials; importance of Black vote in third term re-election campaign; Rauch role as Koch diarist, collaborative writing and editing process; publication of Mayor Politics; relationship with press, ability to mobilize and utilize controversy; Koch accessibility to reporters; tradition of Room 9, press room, in City Hall.

Subjects

• Connable, Roma, interviewer.
• Interviews.
• Koch, Ed, 1924-2013.
• New York (N.Y.). Mayor.
• Oral histories.
• Press secretaries--Interviews.
• Rauch, William--Interviews.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 1993.