A New Start

This chapter focuses on Daniel Garodnick's preparation for the 2013 election as he intended to be the next speaker of the city council. It explains that the speaker is chosen by his or her colleagues in the council and one way to generate votes in a speaker race is by supporting current council members running for re-election. It also mentions the challenges caused by Bill de Blasio winning the Democratic primary for New York mayor as he and Garodnick had a complicated relationship. The chapter refers to the Progressive Caucus, a group of twenty-two council members who had formed a bloc of their own in hopes of influencing the race. It recounts how Garodnick endorsed de Blasio for the general election the day after the primary and came out to give him a boost with his constituents.