The politics of fiscal scarcity and the mobilization of political power in New York City: The electrical and governing strategies of New York City's first Black mayor (David Dinkins)

The analysis of a black mayor must be located in the broader contexts of intergovernmental policies, a city's racial history, its political and party systems, and its interest group alignments. The election and governance of New York City's first black mayor is the case from which I evaluate the transition of power from Mayor Edward Koch to Mayor David Dinkins, and the enactment of de-racial and racial policies under Mayor Dinkins. This research concludes the election and governance of Mayor Dinkins represented a re-allocation of power.; Mayors operate in changing electoral and governmental systems. The formal power to set agendas and promote fiscal priorities places the mayor at the center of New York's governing coalition. The re-allocation of political power exists when a public official is elected by a different electoral coalition, and there is an enactment of policy change in the governing coalition.; The ability to mobilize resources, public and private, is crucial to mayoral power. However, fiscal scarcity in government is a structural constraint on political power. Nevertheless, the city's budget is the central tool used by New York Mayors to generate incentives and win favor among constituencies.; My findings indicate fiscal constraint, greatly influenced by changing intergovernmental policies and the local policies of Mayor Koch impaired, but did not preclude Mayor Dinkins from using public authority to re-allocate political benefits and promote selective objectives. In fact, the conclusions of this research discovered that it is not necessary for New York Mayors to win re-election and/or dominate their political environment to enact changes to governing coalitions and policies. Mayor Dinkins inherited a condition of fiscal scarcity, and ultimately lost his re-election. However, his election and governance represented a re-allocation of political power and a change in policies from Mayor Koch. The findings of this research indicate black since what a black mayor is able to accomplish is inter-connected to the political order he/she inherits.