Category Archives: Andrew Cuomo

Cuomo Parade Gaggle



Governor Andrew Cuomo briefly spoke with the press this morning, just ahead of the ticker tape parade for the U.S. women’s national soccer team.  Cuomo arrived just before his gaggle and departed directly from the end of the parade, not joining Mayor de Blasio’s pre-parade reception for the team nor the large ceremony held in City Hall plaza after the parade.  Cuomo and de Blasio did not interact or appear together during the parade.

Cuomo dismissed the ongoing friction between he and the mayor as “soap opera that you want to cover because you guys like the drama.”  He confirmed that he has not spoken with the mayor since de Blasio returned from vacation this week, and said that he had no current plans to do so.  He responded to parade questions with references to the Women’s Equality Party and the Women’s Equality Agenda, saying that “here in New York we have a very big movement about women’s empowerment.”

There was a bit of inter-journalist friction as the initial questioner did not willingly yield the floor.

Cuomo Grants “Special Prosecutor” Powers To Schneiderman (Updated)



Schneiderman & Cuomo 7-8-15Governor Andrew Cuomo today issued an executive order directing the New York State attorney general “to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute certain matters involving the death of an unarmed civilian … caused by a law enforcement officer.”  Cuomo’s executive order comes after significant public demands for such an action, with growing dissatisfaction by many of those calling for such action that Cuomo had not yet acted.  He signed the executive order during a press conference/order signing ceremony at Manhattan’s John Jay College.  (Our press conference photo gallery is here.)

Cuomo was joined by a group of women whose sons have died at the hands of police, including Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, Constance Malcolm, mother of Ramarley Graham, Iris Baez, mother of Anthony Baez, Valerie Bell, mother of Sean Bell and Hawa Bah, mother of Mohamed Bah, who have been the public face of the push for a special prosecutor.  Cuomo recently met with them after Carr and Malcolm published an op-ed accusing him of “backtracking” on his promises.

Cuomo & Valerie Bell 7-8-15

Continue reading Cuomo Grants “Special Prosecutor” Powers To Schneiderman (Updated)

Friends – A Video Montage (Updated)



Here’s a brief video look back at Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo over their shared time in office.  Their relationship, bumpy since Mayor de Blasio took office despite the oft-touted “friendship” from their time at HUD, has devolved into off-the-record sniping by the governor and on-the-record complaints by the mayor.  It’s not clear how, or if, the current friction ends, but with 2 1/2 years remaining in Mayor de Blasio’s term, and 3 1/2 in Governor Cuomo’s, there’s no escaping each other.

These excerpts and outtakes illustrate the early hoping-against-hope tact of Mayor de Blasio; publicly emphasizing their existing relationship and some putative shared policy policy goals.  As has been made painfully clear neither of those elements appear meaningful to the governor and, notwithstanding some moments of levity, time and retrospect treat many of Mayor de Blasio’s words harshly.

Cuomo Pushes Fast Food Worker Raise



Governor Andrew Cuomo held a rally at the Manhattan headquarters of the Hotel and Motel Trades Council Thursday urging a “Wage Board”, which he appointed, to increase the minimum wage for fast food workers.  Cuomo was joined by about dozen labor leaders, including New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento, HTC President Peter Ward, Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera, President of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO Vincent Alvarez, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum and President of Teamsters Local 237 Gregory Floyd.  Cuomo was also joined by Jon Bon Jovi.  Bon Jovi’s song “Work for The Working Man” is frequently played at Cuomo events.

Cuomo’s appearance at the rally came as the legislature staggered toward the end of it’s 2015 session with major issues unresolved.

Cuomo Speech:

In one curious comment, Governor Cuomo declared that he does not “use those words income inequality.”  A closer look at that comment is here. Below is Governor Cuomo’s full speech.

Continue reading Cuomo Pushes Fast Food Worker Raise

Cuomo On Income Inequality



Governor Andrew Cuomo does not use the term “income inequality.”  Except when he does.

During a rally today aimed at raising the minimum wage for fast food workers Governor Cuomo declared that “I don’t use those words ‘income inequality.'”  He has, of course, including as the opening words of a New York Times op-ed he wrote in May.  When asked at a post-rally press Q&A (by NY1’s Josh Robin) about the seeming contradiction, Cuomo propounded the view that “we don’t believe that we should have a system of equal income” and that instead the key focus should be on ensuring opportunity.  Left unsaid was any direct criticism or mention of the elected official most closely associated with the phrase currently, and who’s view appears much closer to a desire for “a system of equal income,” Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Here’s Cuomo’s comment during his speech and post-rally response:

Cuomo At Hotel Trades Council



Governor Andrew Cuomo today lauded his administration’s increase of the minimum wage applicable to tipped workers to $7.50.  Currently the minimum wage for tipped workers is $4.90, $5.00 or $5.65, varying by the industry.  Effective as of December 31, 2015 there will be a uniform minimum applicable to all tipped workers.

Saying that businesses are “making record profits” and that “it is time that they share”, Cuomo also urged the state legislature to approve an increase in the statewide minimum wage to $10.50, with an additional $1.00 per hour in New York City.  Lamenting that “the rich are getting richer and the middle class and the working families are being left further and further behind”, Cuomo cast the increases as the “right thing … the fair thing … the honest thing” to do.

Cuomo spoke at the Hotel Trades Council midtown Manhattan headquarters.

Best Governor/Mayor Relationship?



Does Mayor Bill de Blasio share Governor Andrew Cuomo’s view that their relationship “will be the best relationship between a mayor and governor in modern political history when all is said and done?”

Cuomo and de Blasio do have a long relationship, with de Blasio having worked for Cuomo in the 1990’s at Department of Housing and Urban Development, and there have been moments when Cuomo has looked to de Blasio for assistance.  At many other times however, and as have virtually all New York governors and mayors, Cuomo and de Blasio have found themselves at odds.  They’ve mostly worked to keep their disagreements and differences out of public view, but those frictions clearly exist.

I asked Mayor de Blasio about Governor Cuomo’s comment today at an unrelated press conference.  Here’s how he reacted (hint – the real answer is in the smile):

de Blasio Press Q&A: The M/WBE Edition



Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference this afternoon following a closed-door “Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise Stakeholder Meeting.”

Questions during the off-topic portion of the press conference included his opinion of the expected Democratic candidate in the 11th Congressional District special election and whether he’ll campaign for Gentile, the prospect of Department of Homeland Security losing funding, religious organizations renting City school facilities for prayer/worship services and the related lawsuit, a NY Post report criticizing a newly-created NYPD training program, reported terror threats against shopping malls, the absence of a Lunar New Year message from the mayor and his non-attendance at the Lunar New Year parade, his reaction to Governor Cuomo’s comment that their relationship will be “the best relationship between a mayor and governor in modern political history,” his scheduled trip to Albany on Wednesday and delays in federal funding of Sandy rebuilding.

Cuomo Speech Protest



A group of about ten protesters staged a brief demonstration in the lobby of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater Friday morning, just ahead of a speech by Governor Andrew Cuomo.  The group chanted school-related slogans (“protect our kids not billionaires”) and held signs (“School Teachers Over Hedge Funders”) critical of the governor.

Police and Cuomo staffers prevented the protesters from entering the theater where Cuomo would be speaking.  After a police officer (unclear if he was NYPD or a state trooper) and Cuomo staffer Rodney Capel pushed a protester out, the remaining protesters left with less dramatic confrontations.

Here’s a brief cell phone video clip:

Coverage of Cuomo’s appearance is here.

Cuomo Gaggle



Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke with the press today following his speech in Brooklyn.  Questions during the post-speech “gaggle” included the cost of a special election, his reaction to a New York Republican Party 50 Shades of Grey parody of Bill de Blasio and Al Sharpton, Rudy Giuliani’s recent comments about Barack Obama, the expected Republican candidate in the 11th Congressional District special election, state legislature financial disclosure forms, the refusal of Port Authority commissioners to accede to Cuomo and Chris Christie’s request to resign, his planned trip to Cuba, congestion pricing, and UFT comments asserting that the governor has shortchanged New York City schools by $2.5 billion.

Here is the full gaggle:

We also have separate clips of Cuomo’s comments on Rudy Giuliani and the 11th Congressional District special election.

Cuomo On Donovan: He’s OK (Updated)



Governor Andrew Cuomo had kind words for the expected Republican candidate in the 11th Congressional District special election.  That election will select a successor to Michael Grimm, who resigned on January 5th after pleading guilty to a federal crime.  Republican county leaders in Brooklyn and Staten Island, who select their party’s candidate in this special election, have settled on Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan.

I asked Cuomo about his relationship with Donovan, whose tenure as DA overlapped with Cuomo’s term as attorney general, and what he thinks of Donovan as a candidate.  Cuomo spoke highly of Donovan, adding that “I don’t know that I’ll be taking a position in the race.”  Cuomo’s endorsement could be influential as he won this district with 60,973 votes in November over Republican Rob Astorino’s 44,385, and an absence of Cuomo support for the Democratic candidate would be a victory for the Republican candidate.  Donovan’s professional biography includes running in 2010 as the Republican candidate for New York State Attorney General, hoping to succeed Cuomo.  Donovan lost to Democrat Eric Schneiderman.

Cuomo issued a proclamation this morning setting this special election for May 5th.

Cuomo’s full Q&A with the press is here.