The NYPAN response to Cuomo
STATEMENT OF THE NY PROGRESSIVE ACTION NETWORK (NYPAN) ON THE MULTIPLE ALLEGATIONS FACING GOVERNOR CUOMO
March 2, 2021
As the allegations against NY Governor Andrew Cuomo mount, NYPAN joins a diverse and growing list of New Yorkers, of all parties, from all regions of the state, of all races and genders, who are calling for the Governor’s resignation. Should he refuse, he should be impeached. If those remedies fail, we echo the statement of NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams: Governor Cuomo has earned himself a primary.
It is bad enough that the Governor intentionally hid the true scope of nursing home deaths, and it is bad enough that he was rewarded financially with large donations from the owners of those same nursing homes. To add insult to injury, the Governor has now gone so far as to personally contact respected Assembly Member Ron Kim and threaten to destroy his career, after Kim called attention to the nursing home situation. And now, with each passing day, another woman comes forward with very credible accounts of crude and intimidating sexual abuse toward them by the Governor.
This has gone too far.
But we must not forget that all these incidents of the past year come atop a 10-year reign characterized by bullying, abuse of power, undemocratic initiatives and the Governor’s apparent need for total control and dominance. Whether it was his initial attacks on public sector unions, cutbacks in funding for social programs, attempts (thankfully unsuccessful) to eliminate the presidential primary & opponents like the Working Families Party, crass subservience to real estate and Wall Street interests who in turn contributed to his campaign war chests, or his support for the reactionary IDC caucus, Cuomo has consistently ruled like an autocrat bent on protecting privilege and his own power at the expense of everyone else.
For the last year, Governor Cuomo has used the pandemic health emergency to amass total one-person control over the entire state. Now, he is using his power to blunt vital proposals to guarantee universal healthcare and a fair progressive tax system, two of NYPAN’s highest priorities.
This is not the first financial or ethical scandal of the Cuomo administration. Investigations into corruption by the Moreland Commission, and the conviction of Governor Cuomo’s closest aid, Joe Percoco, were never properly completed and have had no serious consequences. This must not happen again. We have had enough claims of innocence and enough of transgressions being swept under the carpet.
The Governor has a long and consistent record of abuse of power, abuse of women, abuse of democracy, abuse of the Legislature, and abuse of the very people he was sworn to serve. For once he should do the right thing and resign. If he doesn’t, the Legislature needs to step in and remove him. And, should neither of these events occur, then we the voters must take charge and vote the Governor out, just as we did last November, with another infamous New York abuser with a fortune from the real estate industry.
New Yorkers have suffered too much, especially in the past year. They deserve better. At NYPAN, we are committed to a brighter future, with progressive policies and a culture of respect and inclusion -- one with a new Governor leading our state.
Are you with us?