The Last Mayor
by
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Chris Russo finally reached the bottom of the eleven concrete steps, brushed past a slim, impeccably dressed guy holding open the left rear door of the car, and collapsed into the center of the long seat. He slowly lifted the fedora from his head, flipped it on to the seat and pulled a crumpled “New York Knicks” cap from one of the car’s side pockets. “I hate fedoras. This one makes me look like Matt Drudge, for Chrissake.” He looked at another car, parked on the other side of the steps, and waved to the two guys occupying the front seat. He pulled down the cap over his face, resting its peak on the bridge of his nose. The car made its way along By then, the rear seat occupant was slouched down in the seat, his long arms extended in both directions reaching the full width of the Mercury, his long legs stretched to where the tips of his shoes disappeared under the car’s front seat. He kept peeking out at the road from under his cap. It was close to Chris Russo slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position, leaned forward and, with the stiffened and joined index and middle fingers of his right hand, poked hard at the driver’s shoulder. “Charlie Garrett, you bastard, every single day since I took office you’ve made your way from the Hall to the Drive by slowly cruising past Police Plaza--Like a damn funeral procession--the three cars, ours, the backup unit, and the advance car--the whole God damn security ‘Package!’” The passenger sitting next to the driver, a big, clumsy looking guy with a Rocky Balboa porkpie balanced on top of an immense hedge of black, steel-gauge hair, pushed back his top coat, lifted the left side of his sport jacket, reaching past a Western leather shoulder-holster holding a huge Police .45 caliber. He thrust an elbow into Garrett’s left side. They both laughed. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead, Gilmartin, you’re a wiseass, too. Just laugh it up, guys. I know what you’re trying to do.” “Oh, gee, I’m sorry, Commissioner--I mean, Mister Mayor,” Garrett stuttered. “I didn’t realize what I was doing.”
“OK, OK, enough already, hit the gas and maybe I’ll get a chance to see my wife and kids for the first time in a couple of days,” Russo ordered.
“Yes sir, gotcha,” Charlie shouted, eagerly reaching out for the mess of controls on the car’s
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About the Book
It’s early New Year''s Day on West 246th Street in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. A young family is taking off for a day in Manhattan--to do something. As Chris, Cathy, and their sons, Jack, and Richie, step out on to the stone patio outside their front door, they are surprised to see their neighbors lining the sidewalks cheering as the four come out of the house and jump into a car with two guys positioned on each side of the open rear door. Later in the day, standing on the cold, half-cleared, snow-white front steps of City Hall, Chris Russo takes the oath of office as New York City’s mayor, succeeding his lifelong Parkchester friend, Tom McCabe, who was forced to resign. It’s a joyful, yet somewhat unsettling post-script to events that unfolded in Joe Hoffman’s first novel, “Acts and Omissions,” the senseless murder of two community activists and the baffling criminal investigations, bizarre courtroom antics, and unprecedented political chicanery that followed. “The Last Mayor” takes place post 9/11. The tragic events of that day and its destructive impact on New York City’s human and financial resources would dramatically change the focus of many services provided by the city. Terrorism Task Forces at all levels of government were being created and the NYPD would be expected to play a major role in these new efforts. At the same time, the cops along with all city agencies are faced with massive cuts in their budgets. The story gets underway six months into the new mayor’s term, following his surprising and bold organizational changes within a number of major city departments. Changes, that don’t sit well with many inside and outside city government. Russo acknowledges the emotional and political forces at play, but vows not to be distracted from fulfilling his promises, made during his campaign and pre-9/11, to create a more productive, more efficiently-managed city work force.
About the Author
Joe Hoffman was
He lives in