Three Men in a Room: The Inside Story of Power and Betrayal in an American Statehouse

by Seymour P. Lachman, Robert Polner

The inside story of one of the country's most secretive and misruled statehouses by a former New York State senator;.

"Democracy takes decades to take root and flourish. New York is learning that it takes just three men in a room to maim and seriously harm a vigorous and representative system of government." —from Three Men in a Room

It might be a scene from a three powerful and secretive men sit in a private corner of an exclusive New York club, imperiously making decisions that affect the lives of millions of people. But the scene takes place in Albany, New York, and the exclusive members are the governor, the senate majority leader, and the speaker of the assembly of the New York State legislature.

Three Men in a Room is an insider's exposé of how one of the country's largest and most powerful governments—with the fourth-largest budget, behind only the federal government's, California's, and Texas's—has become a model of corrupt, inefficient, and undemocratic governance. Seymour Lachman ran the New York City Board of Education, taught political science, and was then elected to New York's legislature. What he found when he arrived in the halls of the state senate was a Potemkin village of government where legislators vote on bills they haven't read during legislative sessions they haven't attended. After four terms, Lachman left his safe seat in disgust, and has now written this sharp, mordant, and impassioned call for reform. Although Lachman's story takes place in one of the country's most progressive states, the problems described in this book are rampant in statehouses throughout the country.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2006

About the author

Seymour Paul Lachman was an American academic, political historian, book author, and politician from New York.

Reviews

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. More so because I was new to working the NY Legislature and wanted to have a better understanding of everything and how it all worked behind closed doors. If you are interested in NY Politics or are confused by the whole Senate mess that occured in June 2009, this is the book to read.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may have been a New York resident for over three years, but it was not until relatively recently that I realized that words "Albany" and "dysfunction" walked hand in hand. Blame law school, I suppose. Indeed, NYU's Brennan Center -- a respectable and worthy institution, in my opinion -- found that only Louisiana's legislature was less democratic than ours. This book has fueled my interest in the subject, and the more I learn, the more I have to struggle with shock and discouragement over the state of affairs. It's no wonder then that New Yorkers seems either ignorant or cynical about their own government -- it's a fucking mess.

The author was a professor of political science who succeeded in winning a seat in the state senate. After some years (6?) of feeling disgusted and impotent, he left. Hence, this book. It's not an empirical study, but a series of frank observations about the general principles and practices of working in the Legislature, interspersed with poignant and illustrative personal anecdotes, with some concise recommendations at the end.

The bottom line is unsurprising -- New York needs strong, ethical leadership and a population who understands and cares enough to put pressure on its elected officials. What surprises me is the lack of democracy that has been tolerated in this state. Maybe I'm just naive, but I remain hopeful that we can make some positive changes in this jacked up system.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This update of Lachman's Three Men in a Room is an essential read for students of NY state politics. As I write this in the early 2020s, things are improving—Cuomo's Independent Democratic Conference has been smashed and Cuomo himself is gone—but there is still plenty of machine in our Democratic politics. When things are bizarre and messed up in Albany, this book almost always offers insights as to why. The writing can be a little frustrating—certain points are explained repeatedly and it's not clear why—but it's worth the effort.

[Jin Yu]

This book is really amazing. I first foun this book in the office when i was working for a political candidate that was running againist Sheldon Silver for his spot. This book opens my eyes about the corruption in New York State Politics I love how this book talks about all the problems New York State has faced but there is still nothing done about it. Everyone keeps talking about the problems they are facing but we haven't done anything to change it.

[Adam Copeland · Rating 3 out of 5]

An effective indictment of New York State politics, but Lachman has a tendency to repeat himself, and goes on occasional useless historical tangents. Would probably have been just the same at 3/4 the length.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really should read the powerbroker...

[Juliette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book to understand NY state politics. Isn't riveting, but is a good easy read.