City of ambition

Remapping Debate

Jan. 29, 2014 — Mason Williams, a historian and postdoctoral fellow at the New-York Historical Society and The New School, is the author of “City of Ambition:FDR, La Guardia, and the Making of Modern New York.” In this interview, Williams discusses La Guardia’s critical role in implementing the New Deal in the New York City context and his vision of the role of government, and compares his perspective and approach with the opportunities and challenges facing New York City’s new mayor.