Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke briefly with press today at the conclusion of the Labor Day Parade.
He began with a statement advocating an increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Cuomo has recently reversed course, having previously regarded $15 as too high a minimum. His conversion may be an effect of his friction with the self-described “progressive” Mayor de Blasio, with Cuomo here claiming that the increase he now supports “is the single most progressive thing we can do to help the families of this state.”
Question topics for Cuomo included what he plans for any small businesses that “might go out of business” as a result of an increased minimum wage, the condition of Carey Gabay, a Cuomo staffer grievously wounded in a shooting last weekend, his views on the James Blake/NYPD incident and whether he’s open to running as a vice presidential candidate with Joe Biden. Cuomo said that “the mayor was right to apologize” to James Blake and replied with a simple “no” when asked if Biden has asked him to be his running mate. When asked if he would be open to running with Biden, Cuomo gave a lengthy response that included the statement that “I am about governing this state more than politics, frankly.”
Our Labor Day Parade photo gallery is here.