News: POLITICO New York Playbook: Cuomo’s ‘options’

Friday, March 18, 2022

POLITICO New York Playbook: Cuomo’s ‘options’

Mar 18, 2022

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia

Presented by CVS Health

Judge Andrew Cuomo by the company he keeps.

Months after resigning over findings that he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, the former governor made an interesting choice for the second stop of his comeback tour: joining up with Rev. Ruben Diaz, a former City Council member sanctioned by the body for anti-gay remarks, and Andy King, a former Council member expelled for sexual harassment and ethics violations.

It's looking more and more like Cuomo might actually run for something — or at least wants you to think he might. "I have a lot of options open, and I'm considering them," he told reporters after speaking at Diaz's church in the Bronx Thursday.

Those options could include challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul in the primary for governor — something that would require gathering and turning in petitions by early April to get on the ballot — or creating his own political party to run as an independent in the general election, something he noted he has done before. An Emerson poll from last week found he would trail by only four points in a race against Hochul, 37 to 33 percent.

Cuomo railed again and again against cancel culture, a term more often used when someone gets in trouble for a bad tweet, rather than for a pattern of repeated sexual misconduct documented by an attorney general's investigation. "Our cancel culture mentality today is like modern day stonings," he said.

"Stand up to the ignorance and intolerance, stand up to the bullies," said Cuomo, who was known for telephoned threats and late-night browbeating to accomplish his political goals.

Just over a year ago today, Cuomo was making similar arguments in his defense as the allegations that ultimately led to his resignation began to emerge, according to a 2021 text rant recently obtained by Vice.

And the response from Global Strategy Group's Jefrey Pollock to the thread last year rings just as true today:

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IT'S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERE'S KATHY? Speaking at the Buffalo Irish Center St. Patrick's Day luncheon and making an economic development announcement.

WHERE'S ERIC? In Chicago meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

ABOVE THE FOLD — "Gov. Hochul to pitch changes to bail reform law as part of sweeping public safety plan," by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan and Carl Campanile: "Gov. Kathy Hochul is now proposing a sweeping public safety package including changes that will make more crimes bail eligible in New York after weeks of being accused of ignoring the city and state's crime wave, The Post has learned. The 10-point plan, obtained by The Post, includes a measure that would give judges more discretion to order bail and detain criminal defendants for a host of additional crimes based on their criminal history, including repeat offenders. …Crimes against subway riders and transit employees will also be subject to bail, per the document. More gun crimes would also be eligible for bail."

A message from CVS Health:

Throughout the pandemic, in New York and communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We've opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 41 million tests and given 59 million vaccines. We've expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more.

What City Hall's reading

"NYC hits another COVID-19 milestone: 40,000 total deaths," by WNYC's Nsikan Akpan: "Thursday, New York City reported 40,000 deaths due to the pandemic. That tally is about 10,000 more fatalities than a year ago — half of which were recorded during the latest winter surge when the omicron variant rose to dominance. 'This tragic milestone is certainly not a number, it represents human beings who are no longer with us,' Dr. Ashwin Vasan, who started this month as NYC Health Commissioner, said in an emailed statement to Gothamist. 'It is difficult to comprehend their loss without also reflecting on what those individuals meant to their friends, families, loved ones and to our city as a whole.'"

"What New York Got Wrong About the Pandemic, and What It Got Right," by The New York Times' Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Otterman: "Just over two years ago, a middle-aged lawyer arrived at a Westchester County hospital, struggling to breathe. What ailed him remained a mystery for days until, on March 2, he tested positive for the new coronavirus. If a lawyer who was leading a quiet life structured by Metro-North's timetable on the weekdays and synagogue on the Sabbath was infected, how many others were as well? His case, among the first warnings that the virus was spreading here undetected, triggered a contact-tracing investigation at his Midtown law office, as well as at the Bronx school and Manhattan university his children attended. Within two weeks, subway ridership was down by half, as the city grew fearful. Within three weeks, the state banned social gatherings of any size. Many New Yorkers — the ones with jobs deemed nonessential — stayed home. Then the ambulance sirens began."

"Lawmakers pursue $15 billion plan for climate justice in New York," by Gothamist's Rosemary Misdary: "New York State Assemblywoman Taylor Darling (D-18) grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn and Hempstead on Long Island, and she said she felt the disparity living in a community that is predominantly Black. She said finding green space to play was "impossible," and her family suffered from asthma, exposure to lead, water and air pollution. Her new fight to secure $15 billion for climate justice in the 2022-2023 state budget is a personal one. With the approval deadline looming about two weeks away, Darling along with Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (D-22) said they want to implement programs to 'fix the wrongs' caused by environmental racism — that includes lack of green space, updating housing, improving air and water quality as well as training for jobs in the environmental sector. … The proposed $15 billion would allow for investment in communities like Hempstead and Bedford-Stuyvesant, where residents have borne the brunt of the environmental burden of exposure to industrial waste and limited access to parks."

" Adams celebrates first St. Patrick's Day as NYC mayor with pints of Guinness at Irish pubs," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt: "Mayor Adams sipped in St. Patrick's Day with a beer for breakfast. It was good, so he had another for dessert. Hizzoner celebrated his first St. Paddy's Day as the city's mayor Thursday with a hectic schedule. Before a couple of pints of Guinness, he gulped down his standard morning fare — a smoothie — then hit a couple of bars, did a radio spot and marched in the parade up 5th Ave. 'It was excellent,' Adams said of that first pint he had at Connolly's Pub on E. 47th St. 'Right after my smoothie.'"

BREAKING DOWN THE NYPD BUDGET — Mayor Eric Adams' budget reverses a planned transfer of school safety agents out of the NYPD and into the Department of Education, according to a budget analysis by the Citizens Budget Commission. The move was promised by former Mayor Bill de Blasio during 2020 protests, but that year's budget did not reflect the change and it was scheduled to take place in fiscal 2023. Adams' 2023 preliminary budget cancels the planned transfer of 5,290 civilian personnel in the School Safety Division from the NYPD to the DOE, and the DOE will continue to pay the NYPD for the cost of the school safety division. The DOE is saving $34.6 million by eliminating 560 vacant school safety positions.

CBC's analysis also predicts that the NYPD will once again blow past its overtime budget — by $258 million in the current fiscal year, for total overtime spending of $742 million, up from $480 million last year. Analysts also found that the budget cut Adams' mandates for city agencies added up to $113 million for the NYPD — 2.2 percent, below the 3 percent target demanded of agencies. Among the 10 largest city agencies subject to the cut, the NYPD's cut is the fourth lowest for 2022 and the second lowest for 2023. The City Council is scheduled to hold a hearing on the police budget today. — Erin Durkin

JOIN THURSDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON CRYPTOCURRENCY AND REGULATION: Cryptocurrency has gone mainstream. With the market now valued at $1.8 trillion, Washington's oversight of the fast-growing industry remains in its infancy. How should Congress and federal agencies shape future regulation of digital asset markets? Join POLITICO in person or virtually for a deep-dive discussion on what's next for crypto, regulation and the future of finance. Programming will run from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT with a reception from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT. REGISTER HERE.

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

"Regulators face questions over retail pot licenses for the convicted," by Times Union's Rebekah F. Ward: "Following the release last week of draft regulations that would allow those with marijuana convictions to get priority in New York's retail cannabis industry, the unprecedented move has stoked controversy in the fledgling industry. Confusion about the plan emerged after regulators issued their proposed eligibility requirements for retail cannabis licenses that include terms such as 'justice involved,' prompting questions, for instance, about how a potential applicant whose marijuana conviction had been expunged or sealed could access those records to prove they qualify. State Sen. Jeremy Cooney, D-Rochester, who has been a proponent of equity programs within the state cannabis industry, noted that the eligibility requirements drafted for the first 100-plus conditional retail licenses are very specific."

"Delayed Treatment and Denied Services: Health Care In New York Prisons Is A 'Joke,'" by New York Focus' Victoria Law: "'Medical is a joke,' said Davide Coggins, currently imprisoned at Great Meadow Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in New York's Washington County. 'Unless you have diabetic issues or something simply attended to, you will suffer and decay before you get some type of treatment, if any.' The 42-year-old has Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, blood clots, colon cancer and, if left untreated, fatal complications. Three intestinal resections have left Coggins without parts of his colon. He attributes the severity of the ailment to prison conditions."

From Cuomo to Hochul: Mujica remains a key aide, drawing praise and skepticism, by POLITICO's Anna Gronewold and Shannon Young: As the dust from the Cuomo administration's implosion settles, budget director Robert Mujica is one of the last men standing. And unlike the cavalcade of aides shown the door with the scandal-scarred governor, there appears to be little appetite in the state Capitol to dump the state's longtime financial czar — who now answers to Gov. Kathy Hochul — albeit consternation among some lawmakers about working with Mujica as they negotiate a budget deal in the coming weeks. "Look, Robert works for whoever he works for," said Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island). "At the end of the day he knows who pays him. He's a cipher. And a very smart guy."

"Ethics chair makes last push to force Cuomo to repay book profits," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "As New York's ethics commission mulls a new strategy to force ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to repay $5.1 million in book royalties, its chairman is making a final push to have state Attorney General Letitia James take action following months of resistance by her office."

— "Andrew Cuomo has learned nothing about sexual harassment ," by City & State's Rebecca C. Lewis: "Half a year after his resignation amid multiple sexual harassment allegations, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come to rely on a single fact he claims vindicates him. Five different district attorneys weighed bringing sexual misconduct charges against him, but ultimately none did. He repeated the line on Thursday when he spoke to clergy and congregants at a South Bronx church. 'How can you have a report that says 11 cases (of sexual harassment), and then it goes through law enforcement and they find no cases?' Cuomo asked attendees. 'It was a fraud.' But sexual harassment is not a criminal offense. So Cuomo's claim that the lack of criminal charges against him proves he didn't harass anyone rings false — and is besides the point anyway. Yet when confronted with this fact on Thursday, the former governor — who has a habit of mischaracterizing sexual harassment laws he signed into law — incorrectly asserted that sexual harassment is both criminal and civil, evidence that Cuomo still misunderstands laws he signed."

#UpstateAmerica: A man who runs a taxi-and-tour company in the Bahamas is searching for his long lost love upstate. CC: April from Schenectady who studied at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida in the 90s.

FROM THE DELEGATION

Meeks regains ground in AOC's backyard, by POLITICO's Joe Anuta: Over the last few years, a series of strategic missteps seemed to make the political fiefdom of Rep. Greg Meeks irrelevant. When not chairing the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, Meeks (D-N.Y.) heads the Queens County Democratic Party in his home borough of 2.3 million people, a population larger than most U.S. cities. Yet for his senior stature in the House and skill as a powerful fundraiser, Meeks' run at the head of the Democratic organization has been a puzzling affair.

AROUND NEW YORK

— Domenico "Dom" DeMarco, the owner of renowned Brooklyn pizzeria Di Fara, has died at age 85.

— A Brooklyn NYPD precinct has a quote plastered on its wall celebrating the "hunting of man."

— Robot dogs are coming to the FDNY.

— The state will distribute more than 20 million free at-home Covid tests this spring.

— The 32BJ Health Fund released a report alleging that New York City could be overcharged by $2.4 billion a year by private hospitals.

— The Public Service Commission will audit Central Hudson's management and operations amid complaints about billing problems and storm response.

— The Rensselaer school board wants the neighboring Dunn landfill to close due to dust blow and the "rotten egg" odors.

— A privately owned entrance to the Bryant Park subway station is still closed two years into the pandemic.

— Immigration advocates continue to push for aid for excluded workers in New York's state budget.

— A Staten Island man was arrested for punching a 92-year-old woman on the Upper East Side.

DON'T MISS POLITICO'S INAUGURAL HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ON 3/31: Join POLITICO for a discussion with health care providers, policymakers, federal regulators, patient representatives, and industry leaders to better understand the latest policy and industry solutions in place as we enter year three of the pandemic. Panelists will discuss the latest proposals to overcome long-standing health care challenges in the U.S., such as expanding access to care, affordability, and prescription drug prices. REGISTER HERE.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: USTR Katherine Tai … Precision's Stephanie Schriock … Keshia Clukey … CNN's Zachary Cohen … Bloomberg's Kate Hunter … NBC News PR's Haylie Reichner … Chris Harris of Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate … Fox News' Jessica Curry and Karrah Kaplan … POLITICO's Nick Niedzwiadek … Emily Smith of Global Prairie … J Strategies' Jaime Venditti

MEDIAWATCH — The Daily Beast's Asawin Suebsaeng, Adam Rawnsley and Cheyenne Roundtree are all leaving for Rolling Stone, where they'll reunite with former boss Noah Shachtman. … NBC's "Meet the Press" is naming several new hires and promotions: Matt Rivera as editorial director of content strategy, Justice Gilpin-Green as producer on the content strategy team, Tanya Davis and Sarah Dean as producers, Caitlin Hartman as an associate producer, Elias Miller as a researcher/production associate and Katie Harada on "Meet the Press Daily."

… NY1 "Mornings on 1" co-anchor Annika Pergament will leave the show to become a national news anchor for Spectrum's network of stations. … Emily Gandolfo is now a coordinating producer at MSNBC's "Morning Joe." She most recently was a producer for WCBS-TV/CBS New York.

MAKING MOVES — John Tomlin, former deputy chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, is joining Actum LLC as a managing director. The firm is adding Cara Noel, former communications director for 1199SEIU, and Barry Caro, a longtime Democratic strategist, as senior vice presidents.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — MSNBC anchor Lindsey Reiser and Kathy Clark, journalist and executive producer at The Social Television Network, on March 10 welcomed Harlen Rachel Reiser-Clark, who came in at 7 lbs, 11 oz. Instapics

WHAT WALL STREET IS READING — CLICKER: "Bloomberg's March Madness Brackets for a Cause"

A message from CVS Health:

At CVS Health, we're more than 300,000 caring employees ensuring New Yorkers and millions of Americans can access health care services.

We have been offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide.

Nothing should stand in the way of mental health and well-being, so we have been increasing remote access to mental health services.

We have been supporting safer pregnancies and expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine.

Recognizing the strong connection between housing and health, we have been investing in affordable housing to support underserved populations and build healthier communities.

Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care into neighborhoods, homes and hands—so it's never out of reach for anyone.

Healthier Happens Together. Learn more.

Real Estate

"NY Rules Leave Little Room for Pot Shops in Hot Neighborhoods," by Bloomberg's Amelia Pollard and Jo Constantz: "As a real estate broker who specializes in the cannabis industry, Colby Piper is well positioned to get into New York's burgeoning market himself. And as someone who's been convicted of a crime related to weed, he's even better situated now to secure one of the state's first recreational licenses, after officials announced plans in March to give preference to applicants like Piper. 'It puts me right at the front of the line,' he said. But even for Piper, opening a shop in his preferred neighborhood of Harlem may not be easy. Like most states, New York's law requires that dispensaries be a certain distance from schools and houses of worship. These and other expected regulatory requirements for where dispensaries can be located pose a particular challenge in dense New York City."

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