ED KOCH Passes Away This Morning

   Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch most famous for his "How Am I Doing" line during his 12 years as mayor passed away this morning at 2 AM. Koch was pronounced dead due to Congestive Heart Failure at Presbyterian Hospital after reentering the hospital only two days after being released from a previous stay there. Koch had a lone history of health problems that began during his third term in office when he suffered a stroke in 1987 shortly after several scandals which included some of his close friends and allies in politics. The FBI later released a statement about the Koch administration, saying that on FBI tape recordings it was only Mayor Ed Koch that the mob could not influence. Koch would then have several health problems that would increase in severity as time went on.

   Ed Koch was born on Dec. 12, 1924 in the Bronx, and started his political career by joining the Village Independent Democrats while attending NYU that he graduated from in 1948. Koch was elected to the City Council, and then was elected to congress where he served from 1969 - 1977 until he was elected to his first term as mayor of New York City in 1977. Koch beat incumbent Mayor Abe Beame and future Governor Mario Cuomo in the Democratic primary back when the winner of the Democratic primary ment you were elected mayor. Koch and Mario Cuomo would meet again in 1982 running for Governor of the state, but Koch would lose this time to Cuomo. After racial tensions flared up in New York City during his third term the now outspoken mayor was defeated in the 1989 Democratic primary by New York City's first Afro-American candidate who at the time was Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins. 

   After his defeat for a fourth term Koch started his career on T.V. as the first judge for the People's Court. He went on to do a host of other shows with his last gig as one of the three regular "Wise Guys" on NY1's City Hall show.  Koch was a deciding factor in which way the Jewish vote went with his endorsement that was strongly sought after by candidates from all parties such as former Mayor Rudy Guliani, and soon to be former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Koch continued a busy schedule and work ethic to his final days, and bought a burial plot in NYC five years ago saying that he did not want to leave NYC, even after his death.