Donald Trump Challenged New York Democrats and Won

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Many people wonder if Trump can deliver on his promises because they say the jobs are too tough and even if he wanted to, he can’t keep his promises.  That’s what former Mayor Ed Koch thought too and he got the surprise of his life.  First, a little background information.

The Wollman skating rink in Central Park could no longer make ice and it was determined that the entire rink needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.  The Wollman rink had been made possible by philanthropist Kate Wollman, who left the money in a bequest in her will.  (She also paid for the education of her grandnephew  Henry Wollman Bloch.  Bloch founded H&R Block)

When the rink failed in 1981, it was already bleeding money.  The city set aside 2 million dollars for the renovation and allowed two and a half years to complete the project.  Six years and 13 million dollars later, the rink was actually in worse shape than when they began.  All they had done needed to be torn out and they would have to start all over.  The city’s democratic leaders announced that the project would require two more years and possibly three million dollars.

Enter Donald Trump.  He notified Mayor Koch that he would rebuild the Wollman rink under budget and in just four months.  Koch turned him down because he said it was all bluster and Trump couldn’t deliver.  Public pressure was brought to bear until finally Koch and the city council decided letting Trump do it would be good.  The way they figured it, the job was impossible to complete in 4 months and the money it would take would far exceed the 3 million allotted for the repair.  That way, when he failed, they could divert the criticism they had been receiving over the past four years.

To make a long story short, Trump completed the rink in under four months and 25% under budget. and the rink opened before the skating season began.  Mayor Koch allowed Trump to operate the rink and before long it was making money, with every cent of profits going to charity.  Trump refused payment for his work repairing the rink and the city turned over a second rink in Central Park to Trump.

Today, 30 years later, the rinks are doing just fine and the Wollman rink is now the Trump Wollman Skating Rink, with the name in large letters and also are displayed on the Zamboni.  To the victor goes the spoils.

Irwin Kula and Craig Hatkoff of Forbes Magazine described the incident like this:

“Once upon a time there was an ice skating rink in Central Park that could no longer make ice. No one could figure out how to fix the skating rink. Years went by and millions of dollars were spent and still no ice. One day a white knight wearing a bright red tie showed up and said: ‘ Let there be ice!’ Four months later there was ice. When asked by the press why the people had been unable to fix the rink themselves the knight said ‘they’re very nice people and I like them very much but they’re all idiots!’ And everyone lived happily ever after.”

He has done for the presidential election what he did to the Wollman Rink.

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