Stanley Simon

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Stanley Simon

| image =

| office = 10th Borough President of The Bronx

| term_start = January 5, 1979

| term_end = March 11, 1987

| predecessor = Robert Abrams

| successor = Fernando Ferrer

| office1 = Member of the New York City Council
for the 8th district

| term_start1 = January 3, 1973

| term_end1 = December 29, 1978

| predecessor1 = Bertram Gelfand

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1930|3|3}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|8|27|1930|3|3}}

| party = Democratic

| spouse = {{marriage|Irene Urist|1961}}

| children = 2

| alma_mater = New York University
Brooklyn Law School

}}

Stanley Simon (March 3, 1930 – August 27, 2023) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. From 1979 to 1987, he served as the 10th Borough President of The Bronx. Previously, he served for six years on the New York City Council.

In 1987, he was convicted of Federal racketeering charges along with Rep. Mario Biaggi and Robert Garcia in connection with the Wedtech scandal.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/05/nyregion/biaggi-convicted-in-wedtech-case-simon-also-guilty.html |title=Biaggi Convicted in Wedtech Case; Simon Also Guilty |work=New York Times |date=August 5, 1988}}

Early life

Simon was born in Manhattan, New York, to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants in 1930.{{cite news|title=Stanley Simon, Bronx Leader Brought Down by Corruption, Is Dead at 93 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/31/nyregion/stanley-simon-dead.html |newspaper=New York Times |last = McFadden|first = Robert D.|authorlink = Robert D. McFadden|date = July 31, 2024|accessdate = July 31, 2024 |url-access=subscription}}{{cite web|url = https://www.shiva.com/stanleysimon|title = In Loving Memory of Stanley Simon|website = Shiva.com|accessdate = July 31, 2024}} He grew up in Morris Heights, Bronx, where his parents ran a candy store. He graduated from New York University and the Brooklyn Law School.

Politics

Simon became active in politics and held legislative positions as well as becoming a district leader for the Democratic Party in The Bronx.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/12/nyregion/simon-s-political-career-had-a-traditional-start.html |title=Simon's Political Career Had a Traditional Start |work=New York Times |date=March 12, 1987}} In 1973, he won a seat on the New York City Council to replace Bertram Gelfand, who resigned to become a judge.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/03/archives/city-council-will-meet-today-to-pick-new-minority-leader-confident.html |title=City Council Will Meet Today To Pick New Minority Leader |work=New York Times |date=January 3, 1973}} He was also the head of the Bronx Bar Association during this period.

Throughout his career, he aligned himself with Stanley M. Friedman, a powerful Bronx political figure who had served as deputy mayor under Abraham Beame.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/10/archives/stanley-simon-is-held-most-likely-successor-to-abrams-in-bronx.html |title=Stanley Simon Is Held Most Likely Successor To Abrams in Bronx |work=New York Times |date=November 10, 1978}} Although Friedman held no elective office in his career, he controlled judicial appointments and advanced interests of politicians who supported him. In 1978, Simon supported Friedman in his bid for the head of the Bronx Democratic Party.

The following year, after Bronx Borough President Robert Abrams was elected New York Attorney General, Friedman advanced Simon for the interim post. The eight city council members from the Bronx elected him as the interim President in a racially divided vote.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/06/archives/simon-is-elected-for-interim-term-as-borough-president-of-the-bronx.html |title=Simon Is Elected for Interim Term As Borough President of the Bronx |work=New York Times |date=January 6, 1979}} He later won the election in November 1979 to fulfill the remainder of Abrams' term.

Despite a reformist effort to defeat him, he won re-election easily in 1981 over Liberal Party candidate Ismael Betancourt.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/04/nyregion/stein-is-re-elected-2-to-1-in-contest-against-dinkins.html |title=Stein is Re-elected, 2 to 1, in Contest Against Dinkins|work=New York Times |date=November 4, 1981}} Betancourt had been supported by former Borough President Herman Badillo but failed to win the party's endorsement.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/07/nyregion/bronx-insurgent-democrats-split-on-barring-simon-renomination.html |title=Bronx Insurgent Democrats Split on Barring Simon Renomination |work=New York Times |date=June 7, 1986}} Betancourt was later removed from the Democratic primary ballot leaving him to run on the smaller party's line.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/25/nyregion/smith-ruled-off-primary-ballot-in-mayoral-race.html |title=Smith Ruled Off Primary Ballot in Mayoral Race |newspaper=New York Times |date=August 25, 1981|last1=Lynn |first1=Frank}}

He had a tougher challenge in 1985. With an increasing Latino population in the Bronx, José E. Serrano, a New York assemblyman and future Congressman, came within 4,000 votes of defeating him in the Democratic primary.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/12/nyregion/voting-totals-in-city-primary.html |title=Voting Totals in City Primary |work=New York Times |date=November 6, 1985}}

=Conviction=

In 1987, Simon, aware that he had been under investigation and that charges against him were pending, resigned from his post.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/12/nyregion/bronx-chief-quits-and-friedman-gets-12-year-sentence.html |title=Bronx Chief Quits and Friedman Gets 12-year Sentence |work=New York Times |date=March 12, 1987}} A few weeks later, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Rudolph Giuliani announced an indictment against him for extortion, perjury, income tax evasion and obstruction of justice in connection after an investigation into Wedtech, a Bronx-based defense contractor. The charges included extorting a job with pay raises for his brother-in-law, extorting the company for campaign contributions, obtaining a kickback in exchange for a job at his office and failure to pay income tax on the money he received.{{cite news |url=https://www.apnews.com/e20561444c7d665909299fd9bc99749f |title=Former Bronx Borough President Stanley Simon Indicted |publisher=Associated Press|date=April 1, 1987}} The year before, his benefactor Friedman, was convicted of extortion and bribery and sentenced to 12 years in Federal prison.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/12/nyregion/friedman-is-sentenced-to-12-years-in-corruption-case.html |title=Friedman is Sentenced to 12 Years in Corruption Case |work=New York Times |date=March 12, 1987}}

He was convicted of racketeering and extortion in 1988 and received a five-year sentence.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/11/19/biaggi-gets-eight-year-sentence/922db55a-e5ba-4966-b62d-22892ffd0814/ |title=Biaggi Gets Eight-Year Sentence |newspaper=Washington Post |date=November 19, 1988}} He served his sentence at Allenwood Federal prison camp. After two years, Judge Constance Baker Motley reduced his sentence, which made him eligible for immediate parole. He left prison in July 1991.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/12/nyregion/freed-from-prison-simon-returns-to-bronx-and-weeps-in-joy.html |title=Freed From Prison, Simon Returns to Bronx and Weeps in Joy |work=New York Times |date=July 12, 1991}}

Years later, the archives of Mayor Ed Koch's revealed the late Mayor's uncharitable comments about Simon. In one interview, he called Simon "a fool and a simpleton". Koch also said that "all you had to do was to promise him to upgrade his personal private bathroom at Borough Hall, and he'd vote for anything."{{cite news |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/thoughts-from-koch-on-a-fool-and-a-simpleton/#more-449439 |title=Thoughts From Koch on a 'Fool and a Simpleton' |work=New York Times |date=February 12, 2013}}