"Without dedicated public servants, as yourself, at the local level, our efforts here in Washington would be for naught. I am very much aware of your personal commitment in this regard and I thank you for it...." Jimmy Carter, former U.S. President, writing to Al Delbello in 1977. "Al's legacy is bigger than all of us, touching each of our lives, even today. A kind, generous and brilliant man who was a mentor to me, (Al) proved that anything is possible for a boy from Yonkers." Michael Spano, mayor, city of Yonkers As mayor of his native Yonkers-the third largest city in New York-Alfred Delbello defied an ingrained, corrupt, inefficient patronage system to bring fiscal sanity and better living conditions to Yonkers' citizens. Delbello then became the first Democrat to be elected Westchester County Executive, where he balanced fiscal conservatism and an innovative approach to funding with improvements to health care, the environment, the criminal justice system, and equal rights. Delbello brought a bipartisan approach to his role as New York State Governor Mario M. Cuomo's first lieutenant governor in the early 1980s. Even after his resignation in 1985, he continued to pursue many of his political passions in business and, in so doing, become what Socrates would have called "a citizen of the world." In an age in which climate change, health care, and social injustice are key issues and bipartisanship an endangered species, one politician remains a not-so-distant mirror of how to work across party lines to ensure quality of life for all Americans. "John A. Lipman's biography of Alfred B. DelBello is a magnificent piece of work." Keith Mbuya, Readers' Favorite "It doesn't matter what party the reader identifies with—or even if they've heard of DelBello before. What is most important about Alfred B. DelBello: His Life and Times isn't just his life, but his example of a methodology that sparked the kinds of changes all Americans benefited from." Midwest Book Reviews "Lipman focuses on the biggest issues, like rooting out corruption, DelBello's dogged determination shines through, guiding the career of a politician with the desire—and the will and guile—to make things better for his hometown ... Readers fascinated by New York state politics will enjoy this in-depth history of a politico unafraid to make enemies." Booklife (by Publishers Weekly) "... Alfred B. DelBello: His Life and Times deserves a prominent place not only in library biography collections, but as discussion material for political debate groups and government worker circles." Midwest Book Reviews "... [T]his is not just the story of a maverick New York politician, but also a broader exploration of the changing political landscape of late-20th-century America." Kirkus Reviews "Using a combination of interviews, newspaper articles, and scrupulous personal research, Lipman draws a sprawling portrait of the extraordinary man. Political readers will find much to appreciate in this meticulously crafted study of a life of public service." Bookview Review