Andrew Stein (born Andrew J. Finkelstein; March 4, 1945) is an American
Democratic politician who served on the
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
and was its last president, and as Manhattan
Borough President.
Early life
Stein's father,
Jerry Finkelstein, was the multi-millionaire
publisher
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
of the ''
New York Law Journal
The ''New York Law Journal'', founded in 1888, is a legal periodical covering the legal profession in New York, United States.
Background
The newspaper, published Monday through Friday, provides daily coverage of civil and criminal cases from ...
'', among other publications.
Stein shortened his name when he entered politics. Stein attended
Southampton College. He is
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
.
Career
He was a member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
from 1969 to 1977, sitting in the
178th,
179th,
180th,
181st and
182nd New York State Legislatures. He was well known for his series of public hearings into the management practices of nursing homes in the state.
In 1977, Stein was elected as
borough president of
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, defeating
Robert F. Wagner Jr. and New York City Clerk
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993.
Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...
in the Democratic primary. Stein defeated Dinkins again in the 1981 Democratic primary for the borough presidency. He was the Democratic nominee for Congress in the "Silk Stocking District" on Manhattan's East Side in 1984, but was defeated by incumbent Republican
Bill Green. Stein declined a race for a third term as borough president in 1985 to run for city council president.
As city council president, Stein served as the presiding officer of the city council, was acting mayor in the absence or disability of Mayor
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989.
Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...
, was a voting member of the
New York City Board of Estimate
The New York City Board of Estimate was a governmental body in New York City responsible for numerous areas of municipal policy and decisions, including the city budget, land-use, contracts, franchises, and water rates. Under the amendments eff ...
, and handled constituent and policy issues. Stein derived most of his power from his seat on the Board of Estimate, which was made up of the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
, the
city comptroller and the city council president, each of whom had two votes, and the five borough presidents, each with one vote. Stein was re-elected City Council President in 1989.
In 1989, a decision by the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
declared the Board of Estimate was unconstitutional, in that it violated the principle of "
one man, one vote
"One man, one vote" or "one vote, one value" is a slogan used to advocate for the principle of equal representation in voting. This slogan is used by advocates of democracy and political equality, especially with regard to electoral reforms like ...
", and a rewriting of the city charter called for the city council presidency to be abolished and the office of
Public Advocate to be created as the presiding officer of the council and first in line of succession to the mayor. The change in duties would occur when Stein's term expired on January 1, 1994.
In 1993, Stein announced he would challenge Mayor Dinkins in the primary. Despite his reputation as a liberal, Stein had tried to get the endorsement of the
Republican and
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
parties, but was unsuccessful. Stein later dropped out before the primary and briefly tried a bid for public advocate against City Consumer Affairs Commissioner
Mark Green, City Councilwoman
Susan Alter, and State Sen.
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer, who resigned, and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to ...
, but withdrew from the race after a few weeks.
Stein retired from the city council presidency and from public life in the city. Since leaving office, he has pursued private business as a partner in Arapaho Partners, LLC, a business consulting firm based in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
On May 27, 2010, Stein was indicted and arrested for lying about his involvement during the investigation of the multimillion-dollar
Ponzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays Profit (accounting), profits to earlier investors with Funding, funds from more recent investors. Named after Italians, Italian confidence artist Charles Ponzi, this type of s ...
involving
Ken Starr
Kenneth Winston Starr (July 21, 1946 – September 13, 2022) was an American lawyer and judge who as independent counsel authored the Starr Report, which served as the basis of the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He headed an investigation of mem ...
, a financial advisor to various
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
celebrities. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor tax evasion charge and was sentenced to 500 hours of community service.
Personal life
Stein has been married twice. He and his first wife have one daughter. Stein's second marriage to attorney,
Lynn Forester,
lasted from 1983 to 1993 with the couple having two sons.
Bibliography
*
Paterson, David ''
Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity''. New York, New York, 2020
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stein, Andrew
1945 births
21st-century American Jews
Jewish state legislators in New York (state)
Living people
Manhattan borough presidents
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes
Place of birth missing (living people)
New York (state) politicians convicted of corruption
Southampton College alumni
20th-century members of the New York State Legislature