Thank God Andrew Cuomo won.
Unlike Cuomo’s father, previous 80’s reign governor Mario Cuomo, Andrew’s election to the gubernatorial seat was far from a squeaker. Cuomo racked up 61% percent of the vote over Carl Paladino, his GOP competition (and let’s not forget Jimmy McMillan’s 1% - after all, only 1% of New Yorkers truly believe that the Rent is Too Damn High). Paladino, during his campaign, gave new meaning to the term, “loose cannon”. His highly antagonistic approach, complete with controversy after controversy, preempted any agenda that he may or may not have.
So thank God Andrew Cuomo won last night. I am sure that many (at least 61% of New Yorkers) are happy about this fact.
Now. Having said that, let’s talk about the real problem. Mr. Cuomo, this message is for you.
I need you to do your job. Of course, this seems like the obvious statement of the year, but I assure you, it’s not. This New Yorker is a bit fed up, and she’s been fed up for quite some time. Though grateful for David Paterson making history as the first Black American and ‘disabled’ Governor, I am remiss to admit that he hasn’t done a damn thing for our state other than to lead it into further disarray and chaos. Don’t believe me? Let’s (quickly) recap.
In June of last year, we all remember the 30-day gridlock of the State Senate that threw our government into upheaval. The coup, led by disgraced Senator Hiram Monserrate and (crook?) Senator Pedro Espada, along with Rochester based Senator Tom Golisano, ensured that key issues, such as the potential Mayoral control of NYC public schools and same sex marriage passing, went unaddressed for the better part of a month. Now. It could be said that Paterson tried to let adults be adults and handle their issues on their own, as we might have. He noted, “This is getting a little ridiculous — they’ve got to act like adults here,”. NYT staff writers Jeremy Peters and Danny Hakim also note in their piece on the Senate debaucle that Paterson “urged lawmakers to return to the Senate and settle the leadership fight, but he has been largely relegated to the sidelines”.
Wait a minute…
My days of Youth and Government are at least 7 years gone…but the last I checked…you are the Governor. How are you relegated to the sidelines of your own government? Why did this issue take 30 days to be resolved?
Paterson initially withheld salaries to end the deadlock caused by the jumping of parties, and then eventually appointed a new Lieutenant Governor to the post, effectively ending the deadlock, followed by Espada returning to the Democratic party two days following the appointment. Obviously, I’m not going to point out that prior to that appointment, there was no Lieutenant Governor in office, as Paterson had held that role before he was appointed to the Governorship. (Let’s not forget that the Lieutenant Governor’s position is the position in State government equivalent to the VP on a national scale. Just pointing that out.) If we all recall, Paterson replaced disgraced governor Eliot Spitzer after his decline from the top spot. (I haven’t even brought up the scandals yet. Do I actually need to? Isn’t this enough?)
And speaking of Spitzer…
We all remember the golden boy of NYS. The “Bulldog” of Wall Street, Spitzer as Attorney General broke with tradition and challenged ‘white collar’ offenders in his reign. He broke up several prostitution rings and money laundering issues as Attorney General. His election to Governor was easy and without real true competition. And then…
He resigned in March of 2008, slightly a year after his election. Why, you ask? Because he was ‘Client No. 9’ in a prostitution ring.
*scratches head*
So yes, Andrew Cuomo has some issues to encounter, and none of them have anything to even do with his agenda, sadly. Cuomo’s task? To reverse NYS’s current status as a laughingstock government, subject to Saturday Night Live critique in other Senates across the country. We need a real government. Cuomo needs to find a legally binding way to oust current fossils in the Legislature (Silver, Meeks, and Clarke immediately come to mind…yeah, I SAID it, it had to be SAID) and to come forth with a team, led by himself and Lieutenant Governor-elect Robert Duffy, that will not only put structure, order, and actual decision making as a priority, but will actually pass laws. To help the people.
Y’know…your job. After all…if we (the people) don’t do our job…we get fired…right?
So I’m watching you, Andrew Cuomo. And if you care about what actually happens in your state…you will be, too.
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