How to Change One's Mind
As Circumstances Require;
Suggest Two-Tier Licenses 

Henry J. Stern
Thursday, October 25, 2007

One thing I have learned as a grown-up is that more matters are less certain than I once believed.

In public affairs, this is particularly true. Questions to which there is no obvious answer often arise on issues involving land use, budgeting, taxation, local legislation, adoption and revision of regulations, and site selection for public facilities. 

When in the executive branch, one must also make decisions regarding personnel, who to appoint, who to promote, and who to separate from the agency. Normally there is more certainty in decisions about promotion and separation because you have worked with the people involved. As to appointments, the lower the grade of the position you are filling, the easier it is to correct the situation when the person you hired has not worked out as you both had hoped. 

Decisions, if made on the merits, are generally made on the basis of  facts known at the time the issue is decided.  The brighter or more perceptive you are, the more likely it is that you will be able to foresee what may occur in the future, or at least be able to estimate probabilities more closely than others.  Prognostication is a valuable gift, it includes an element of intuition, so it is not likely to be easily acquired by formal instruction.

We do not count as errors changes in position that one may make when one seeks to serve a larger constituency, say when a state or local official runs for President.  Since democracy - rule by the people - implies respect for the will of the public, and the will of the national public is often different from the will of the people in a particular locality, it is not unreasonable for candidates to modify their positions.  The degree of dexterity with which they perform this maneuver can make a major difference in avoiding the appearance of hypocrisy, and projecting the aura of sincerity.  We quote from Carousel (1945),  "Or maybe bark for a carousel; of course it takes talent to do that well."

Another reason for a change in position is change in employment.   I was a Councilman-at-Large for the Borough of Manhattan for nine years, during which I opposed the Westway project, a combination of parks, housing and underground highways to be built on landfill on the east bank of the Hudson River.  When Mayor Koch appointed me Parks Commissioner in 1983, he supported Westway.  As his appointee, I was no longer an elected official (my office having been abolished by the courts as a blight on the 14th Amendment).   So I became a supporter of Westway (not that I had anything to do with the decisions made by the executive branch of the courts).

The Village Voice, justifiably eager to discover hypocrisy or opportunism on the part of public officials, asked me why, having opposed Westway for nine years, I now supported it. I answered the question simply, "I've been traded to a new team."

Some of you may remember that Mayor Koch also opposed Westway when he was a Councilman (1967-68) and a Congressman (1969-77).  He was against it in his mayoral campaign and maintained that position for some years in his mayoralty.   He was ultimately persuaded to change his mind by Governor Carey, who appreciated the federal dollars that would come into the city, and the revenues from the new land.  To win Koch's support, Carey promised to subsidize the MTA so that there would be no fare increase for four years.

The subsidies came for two years, but not for year three.  Mayor Koch went to Governor Carey and reminded him of their "ironclad agreement" to subsidize the transit fare for four years.  "Iron rusts," the governor replied.  "Next time get an agreement in steel." 

#423 10.25.07 628wds

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NOTE: A political consultant in his spare time, Michael (Bison) Oliva has managed several successful judicial campaigns, including those of Judges Shlomo Hagler, Margaret Chan and Shari Michels in Manhattan, and Katherine Levine in Brooklyn. This year he directed the campaigns of two City Council Members, Beth Mason and Nino Giacchi, both elected in Hoboken, New Jersey.

We invite you to link to an article written for us by Bison, in which he discusses whether, or under what circumstances, illegal aliens should receive driver's licenses in New York State..  He cites newspaper columns which offer a solution to the problem, and suggests that if politics were removed from the equation, the issue could be resolved reasonably.

Seeking the Middle Ground,
by Michael Oliva