NEW YORK—Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer stood at his office window at 1 Center St., looking down on City Hall.
“I keep a close watch on the mayor,” joked Stringer. “I can see his every move.”
In a couple of years, it might be Stringer walking in and out of the mayor’s office daily. He is “exploring the possibility of running for mayor in 2013.” While he is excited at the prospect of serving the city in a different capacity, he says focusing on his current role and filling it well is what will win him the mayoral seat.
When asked if he meets often with the mayor now, Stringer simply replied “not so much.”
He sat down, folded his hands, and proceeded to tell the Epoch Times his story.
His formative years
His political career started when he was just a boy. He helped campaign for his cousin, feminist icon, Congresswoman Bella Abzug. His mother ran for City Council in the 1970s when it was more difficult for female candidates, says Stringer, who was inspired by the strong women in his family.
“I had a front row seat to all of this, and I felt like everyone was involved in government and politics,” reflected Stringer. When asked about the ambitions of his youth, he responded that politics had always been on his radar.
As a teen in the 1970s, Stringer’s introduction to politics through his family was set against the backdrop of Richard Nixon’s impeachment and the divide over the war in Vietnam.
On a more local level, New York City was on the edge of bankruptcy and President Ford “told New York to drop dead,” recalled Stringer.
The Bronx was burning with a wave of arson, riots accompanied the 1977 blackout, and the serial killer Son of Sam terrorized the city. The young Stringer saw the city come out of it all, when elected officials and community groups came together.
