The article discusses how the incompetence of the New York City Parks Department during the 1980s, particularly in the case of Wollman Rink, exemplified a broader ineffectiveness within government. Former Mayor Ed Koch's frustration highlighted a cultural aversion among Democrats to exercise decisive power. This mismanagement, alongside public perception of ungovernability, facilitated the rise of populist leaders like Donald Trump, who capitalized on the narrative of governmental dysfunction and incompetence. The inefficiencies of that era serve as a cautionary tale regarding the impact of leadership styles on political dynamics.
The Parks Department's ineptitude during the Wollman Rink rehabilitation fed the belief that New York City was fundamentally ungovernable, highlighting a broader issue of government incompetence.
Koch's discontent with the mismanagement reflected a cultural aversion within the Democratic leadership toward exercising power decisively, thus allowing for an opening for leaders like Trump.
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