New York City Government Officials

Three days after the selection of a new Miss America by judges in Atlantic City, one of the pageant's most prominent alumnae, who once served as a role model for millions of women, will go before a jury of her peers. The high-profile federal court trial of Bess Myerson, who was crowned Miss America in 1945, on charges that she tried to fix her millionaire boyfriend's bitterly contested divorce case begins Wednesday.

He's got a closet full of Nehru suits, an unswerving affection for Mao and Che, and when it comes time to say goodbye, he throws his fist in the air and sometimes shouts, "The struggle continues!" Charles Barron, once a Black Panther, now a freshly minted city councilman, is something of a time warp--but he's also a hint of what's to come. "I'm a black revolutionary, a proud radical, an African American militant, all those bad words, " he says. "And I'm ready to kick some butt."

American Jewish leaders criticized South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu Thursday for suggesting that Jews should forgive and pray for the Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust. Tutu, on a Christmas pilgrimage to the Holy Land Tuesday, urged Israelis to forgive the Nazis for killing 6 million Jews during World War II and condemned the Jewish state for oppressing Palestinians.

Michael R. Bloomberg was sworn in as New York's 108th mayor Tuesday, vowing to help the city recover from the World Trade Center attacks but warning residents that tough economic times lie ahead. Standing in front of an enormous American flag draped across the facade of City Hall, Bloomberg, 59, began his inaugural speech by praising his predecessor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, who got a standing ovation from the crowd of 4,000 dignitaries.

Mayor Edward I. Koch, testifying against his one-time aide Bess Myerson at her alimony-fixing trial, admitted under defense questioning Tuesday that he gave inaccurate information to a federal prosecutor investigating the case. However, Koch insisted that he answered "to the best of my recollection at the time," when the prosecutor asked him in a 1987 deposition whether he had discussed Myerson's situation with one of his top aides, special assistant Herbert P. Rickman.

In a tactical defeat for Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a judge ruled Monday that he may not bring his girlfriend to visit the official mayoral residence while his estranged wife and their children continue to live there. The court also refused to issue a gag order in the first couple's increasingly nasty--and public--divorce case. Donna Hanover, Giuliani's wife, had sought a temporary restraining order against Judith Nathan--saying that her visits to Gracie Mansion would be disruptive.

New York City's police union voted no-confidence in the city's police commissioner, who has come under fire for actions rank-and-file officers say would get them in trouble--such as using detectives to chauffeur guests at his daughter's wedding. Police Commissioner Howard Safir is also under attack for taking a trip to the Oscars, courtesy of a Revlon executive, and other actions.

On a freezing night in the Bronx, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani is basking in the warmth of a town hall meeting that sounds more like a campaign rally. "Thanks for cutting crime!" booms an elderly man. "Good luck in your Senate race against Hillary Clinton!" shouts a young woman.

The head of the nation's largest school system, accusing New York's Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of "nothing short of blackmail," resigned suddenly Friday in what appeared to be a classic political struggle. Schools Chancellor Ramon C. Cortines, in a bitter letter, announced that he would step down in June after Giuliani appointed a special monitor Friday to oversee the Board of Education's budget. New York's new mayor, who faces a $2.

Mayor David N. Dinkins, top city officials and Gov. Mario M. Cuomo all boycotted the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day Parade on Tuesday to protest the exclusion of gays and lesbians from the line of march. Some 150,000 marchers followed a green stripe up Fifth Avenue through snow showers that turned to sunshine amid heavier than usual police security. Near the reviewing stand they were greeted by boos and jeers from about 400 demonstrators, who were kept behind police barriers.

They had lined up around the block to see him, about 300 people on a cold night in Brooklyn, and Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani didn't disappoint. It was his last town hall meeting before leaving office Tuesday, a chance to say goodbye. And the visit quickly turned into a love fest. "Rudy, don't go!" people shouted as he entered the Bay Ridge community hall. The mayor basked in cheers, signing autographs and posing for pictures.

Vowing that New York will not form a "tin cup brigade" to beg the federal government for bailout money, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on Tuesday outlined emergency steps to plug a $1.6-billion deficit through next year and help the city recover from the World Trade Center attacks. In remarks aimed at the mayoral candidates dueling to succeed him, the mayor added that it would be "dumb, stupid, idiotic and moronic" for the city to even think about raising taxes to cope with the fiscal crisis.

After weeks of rumors, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani made it official Wednesday: He is willing to stay on as mayor, if only temporarily, assuming a way can be found to suspend New York's term limits law. The mayor, who has won international praise for his steady leadership in the hours after the World Trade Center attacks, told CBS-TV's "60 Minutes II" that he wants to remain in office past Jan.

He has been a combative, controversial figure--a mayor who seems to alienate as many New Yorkers as he inspires with his tough, sometimes hard-headed governing style. But ever since the attacks on the World Trade Center, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has enjoyed his finest hour.

Howard Koeppel greets a visitor at his posh Upper East Side apartment, with its million-dollar views of midtown Manhattan. "Welcome to Gracie Mansion annex," he says with a grin. "I'm the first lady." He's only half-kidding. In a turn of events tailor-made for this city's tabloid headlines, Republican Mayor Rudolph W.

On a stifling summer night years ago in Manhattan, a tall, gray-haired man and his wife climbed aboard a bus chugging up Broadway. It was quickly apparent that few of the passengers recognized former Mayor John V. Lindsay, a man who had governed New York City for eight tumultuous years. He was a handsome, charismatic figure, a Republican maverick who gained national attention as a champion of urban America in the 1960s and '70s.

Liz Holtzman, who as a congresswoman was a voice of integrity during the Watergate scandal, lost renomination to her city comptroller's job to a candidate who challenged her honesty over a $450,000 campaign loan. State Assemblyman Alan Hevesi swept past Holtzman in a runoff election just four years after she had trounced him in a race for the same position. With 98% of the vote in, Hevesi had 169,333 votes, or 67%, to Holtzman's 82,626 votes, or 33%.

Prosecutors have concluded that the $58,000 price Mayor David N. Dinkins set for stock he transferred to his son was fair and expect to close their probe without filing tax-evasion charges, a published report said. U.S. Atty. Andrew J. Maloney declined to comment, the Daily News said. It cited unidentified sources for its information. Dinkins had said he sold the Inner City Broadcasting Corp. stock to his son, David Jr., in 1985 to avoid conflicts with his duties on the Board of Estimate.

In a tactical defeat for Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a judge ruled Monday that he may not bring his girlfriend to visit the official mayoral residence while his estranged wife and their children continue to live there. The court also refused to issue a gag order in the first couple's increasingly nasty--and public--divorce case. Donna Hanover, Giuliani's wife, had sought a temporary restraining order against Judith Nathan--saying that her visits to Gracie Mansion would be disruptive.

It's a job few New Yorkers can define, including the candidates running for it. But the public advocate is first in line to succeed the mayor, and among those fighting to capture the post, civil libertarian Norman Siegel would seem least likely to succeed. So why are some of Hollywood's biggest stars--Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks and others--forking over nearly $87,000 to Siegel's campaign? Answer: Because David Geffen asked them to.