How'm I Doing?

New York City has had some colorful mayors: LaGuardia, Lindsay, Giuliani, Bloomberg. But even among these larger-than-life figures, Ed Koch stood out.

Tough-as-nails, opinionated, outspoken, gutsy, quick-witted, gruff, in-your-face, Koch was as much a part of New York as it was of him. He showed true leadership in rescuing the city from bankrupcy in the late 1970s and in dealing with the racial tensions of the 1980s. He was unafraid to ask New Yorkers point-blank: "How'm I doing?" And he actually cared about how they answered it. He was the people's mayor, and he will be missed.

I'll leave you with my favorite Koch quote:

"I can explain it to you, but I cannot comprehend it for you."

RIP, Ed Koch.