A Mayor's Life -rev from Toni Williams on Vimeo.

The first Black mayor of New York City, David Dinkins, talks to Brooklyn Savvy about his extraordinary journey into public service and how “hopelessly hooked” he’s become. In a very relaxed mode, the former mayor gave interesting details about his governing of the biggest city in the U.S. Dinkins sounds funny at times and emotional occasionally. But the candidness with which the Jersey-born icon of New York expresses his views is telling. He is particular about the opportunities he embraced, the challenges that came along and his legacy. He emphasizes the roles of others in his success, describing himself as the “beneficiary of the hard work done by a lot of people.” Despite all the challenges Dinkins faced, he says being mayor of New York – a city he likens to a “gorgeous mosaic” – is the best job of its kind in the whole world. Mayor Dinkins also talked about his parents, his upbringing and the things that shaped his values. The full conversation, with Toni Williams, is inspired by Dinkin’s book, “A Mayor’s Life: Governing New York’s Gorgeous Mosaic.”