My best quality is that I talk to everyone. My worst quality is that I talk to everyone.

The mayor of New York is the chief executive of the city. It is a complex organization and it requires the requisite skills to understand how to be the leader of the people and manage the government of N.Y.

In 1964, I tried to convince my grandfather, who was active in the New York City firefighters union, to vote for Barry Goldwater over Lyndon Johnson because at the time I thought his approach to limited government was right on.

I am extremely respectful of the Jewish community. You know, I am Christian. I think of Jews as my older brothers. I mean, there wouldn't be Christianity without the Jewish religion. There is a direct connection between the two of them.

My dad was a New York City cop. His father was a New York City fireman. And my mother's dad was a city taxi driver.

Mayors of New York have been elected not because of their party label, but because of their philosophy and their approach overall, and that has been since time immemoriam in New York, that people are not party-oriented in New York.

I have gone to Albany constantly in my capacity as budget director, because I don't think the way the transit authority works with the City of New York is very appropriate.