NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- David N. Dinkins was New York City's first and only Black mayor.
He began his public service career in 1966 as a member of the New York State Assembly, was president of the New York City Board of Election and served as City Clerk for 10 years.
After two unsuccessful runs for Manhattan Borough President, he finally won in his third attempt in 1985. On Nov. 7, 1989, Dinkins was elected the 106th mayor of New York City, defeating three-term incumbent Ed Koch.
As mayor, Dinkins established numerous widely-heralded cultural staples, such as Fashion Week, Restaurant Week, and Broadway on Broadway. His administration initiated the revitalization of Times Square and secured an unprecedented deal to keep the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in New York for the next 99 years.
This arrangement generates more annual financial benefits to the city than the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, and Rangers combined. Dinkins also instituted "Safe Streets, Safe City: Cops and Kids," a comprehensive criminal justice plan that expanded opportunities for the children of New York and continued to reduce crime in the years that followed his term.
He joined Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs as a professor in the Practice of Public Policy in 1994, and in 2015, the David N. Dinkins Archives and Oral History Project was opened at the Columbia University Libraries.
Dinkins sat on many boards and received numerous awards and accolades during his life, including the renaming of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building in 2015.
He told 1010 WINS a few years ago that he didn't accomplish all he did by himself, but with the help of a lot of talented and good people who worked alongside him. "I feel we did a pretty good job," he said.
Dinkins passed away in November 2020 at the age of 93.
