Recollections From a Smoke-Filled Room: The Day Party Boss Meade Esposito Stepped Down

When Kings County Democratic Leader Meade Esposito stepped down from his post in January 1984, he held a farewell news conference with the local press corps, of which the above audio is an excerpt. It was a rare and somewhat upbeat gathering for reporters who had been covering the party boss for the last 16 years. As Village Voice columnist Wayne Barrett once wrote, "selecting a county leader happens once every decade or so. Incumbents have the power to hang on until they go to jail or die. And while in power, they influence the selection of every local and citywide officeholder, especially judges."

In August 1980 WNYC's Tom Manning interviewed Esposito about his control of county delegates at the Democratic National Convention. The Brooklyn power broker, a title he scoffed at, also talked about his political instincts, Mayor Ed Koch's anatomy, and even his saving of marriages and building of a synagogue.

During his tenure, the gruff Esposito was known and feared for his streetwise approach to politics, heavy-handed tactics, and connection to organized crime figures. He was an 'old school' king-maker: a political fixer whose machine was fueled by loyalty, patronage, and a quid pro quo system that resulted in a bevy of municipal corruption scandals and inquiries. It is likely that a 1983 investigation into his activities contributed to the announcement of his 'retirement' and this press conference, despite his arguments to the contrary. Four years later, Esposito was convicted in the Brooklyn Federal District Court of giving Congressman Mario Biaggi of the Bronx an unlawful gratuity of a luxury spa vacation in Florida.