Skip to content
Lavina Jahorina

lavina-jahorina.com

Lavina Jahorina

lavina-jahorina.com

Max & Murphy: Mollenkopf, Scholar of the City, Says Competition Key to Healthier Democracy De Blasio Seeks

Toby Lambert, February 15, 2018

Jarrett Murphy

John Mollenkopf is a distinguished professor of political science and sociology and the director of the Urban Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center.

“New York City politics is fascinating not only because it binds many interests together in intimate conflict,” John Mollenkopf wrote in his 1994 book A Phoenix in the Ashes, “but because the stakes are so high.”

Mayor de Blasio’s state of the city address on Tuesday night indicated he felt the same way. As he introduced his 10-point plan to reinvigorate democratic participation in the city, the mayor said, “We better understand a proud nation our mission is one of restoration. We must re-democratize a society that is losing its way.”

Mollenkopf, a distinguished professor of political science and sociology and the director of the Urban Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center, has studied New York City politics since 1972 and is the author or editor of 18 books. In 2013, he was a leading voice in “Toward a 21st Century City for All,” an analysis of the city’s condition after the Bloomberg years and a vision for the de Blasio era.

He spoke with the Max & Murphy podcast about the mayor’s speech, his decision to emphasize democratic participation as his top second-term goal, and some of the specific policy choices—on public financing, ballot access, term limits, partisan elections and more—that the mayor’s promised charter-revision commission might face.

A key theme: That democratic competition is what’s most lacking in the city’s elections. Uncontested races, the lack of any real Republican party to challenge Democratic dominance, low-turnout elections in which a handful of voters decide who gets to make important decisions for the city—these are symptoms and causes of the problems de Blasio’s effort is setting out to solve.

Hear our talk below:

Breaking News

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Lavina Jahorina: Top 10 Best Memory Foam Or Thopedic Dog Bed Comparison

  • Boots Baby Bath Oil

  • Top 10 Best Ball Bearing Fishing Reel Comparison

  • Rigorous Training of Military Canines

  • Navigating Success in the Digital Realm: Unveiling the Power of Digital Marketing

  • Tie Dye Pocket Shirt

  • Top 10 Best Can Bass See Fishing Lines? Comparison

  • Top 10 Best Etsy Cast Iron Trivet Comparison

  • Top 10 Best Verizon Wireless Device Comparison

  • Top 10 Best Call To Undefined Function Sqlsrv_connect() Comparison

  • Top 10 Best Jcpenney Mens Coats Clearance Comparison

  • Top 10 Best Spinning Fishing Reel Protective Bag Comparison

  • Raiders Bomber Jacket Mens

  • Buy Men’s Denim Jacket

  • What is the Best Winter Jacket for Mens?

  • Robert Mueller Just Flipped Another Former Trump Adviser In His Escalating Russia Investigation

  • Top 10 Best Lines For Float Fishing Steelhead Comparison

  • Men’s Ripped Slim Denim Jackets

  • Top 10 Best Salt Water Surf Fishing Reels Comparison

  • 7 Steps in Creating a Winning Social Media Marketing Strategy in 2018

  • Lavina Jahorina: Top 3 Best Corn Peelers Reviews In 2019

  • Top 10 Best Saltwater Fishing Rods 16 To 20 Feet Long Comparison

  • Short for Men’s Online

  • Top 10 Best Bool Object Is Not Iterable Comparison

  • Red and White Jackets Men’s

  • Men Jacket Under 15

  • Top 10 Best Akios 666 Fishing Reels Comparison

  • Top 10 Best Stradic Fishing Reels Combo Comparison

  • As Some Got Free Health Care, Gwen Got Squeezed: An Obamacare Dilemma

  • Moon Shaped Earrings

©2025 Lavina Jahorina | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes