Session: 123456789101112131415161718         Page 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 of 617

run.” I didn't want to run for district leader. I mean: who wants to run against Carmine DeSapio? You worry about getting killed; you do. There was always that fear of violence. We never had it, but there was always the fear. So I really didn't want to run. I lived then in the West Village on 72 Barrow Street. I lived in the same building and on the same floor that Carmine DeSapioss uncle, George Tambini, lived. I'd see him in the elevator. The whole building was a Carmine DeSapio building. One of my joys was that in the district leadership race, which we'll talk about, I won that election district. It was such a joy for me because it was overwhelmingly for Carmine, but they voted for me because I was their neighbor -- not George Tombini but the people in the building.

Anyway, I said, “If you can't get anybody else, I will be the candidate.” I remember Arthur Perlroth was very upset by this. He said, “Just by your saying that, you're keeping other people out.” I said, “So what? You run, then I won't be the candidate. I'm getting so tired of this operation. With all the internecine warfare that took place in the VID at that time. It was very troublesome and very enervating to have to fight your friends in addition to your enemies. It was a very difficult problem.

Anyway they couldn't get anybody and I ran and I won. The best story about my running and winning (I won by a margin of 41 votes out of about 9000) was that ...