Miner, Molinaro pounce; GOP leader says New Yorkers should be ‘scared to death’
ALBANY, N.Y. » In New York state government news, Stephanie Miner and Marc Molinaro are wasting no time pouncing on Gov. Andrew Cuomo following his big win over Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary.
The two candidates for governor both blasted Cuomo for they said was his failure to curtail government corruption, the first of many attacks on the incumbent now that the governor’s race has entered the general election phase.
Meanwhile, Republican state Senate Leader John Flanagan says New Yorkers should be “scared to death” after liberal challengers prevailed in several state Senate races.
Here’s a look at stories making news:
General (election) melee
Molinaro, the Republican Dutchess County executive, launched what he’s calling the “Cuomo Corruption Tour” in Manhattan on Friday, the day after Cuomo beat Nixon, a longtime political activist and former star of the television show “Sex and the City.”
Speaking to reporters, Molinaro cited the recent corruption convictions of two former top advisers to Cuomo and said the governor has failed to act on an obvious problem in Albany.
“Andrew Cuomo’s victory in the Democratic primary was affirmation that New York’s government is broken,” he said. “This governor may not have broken New York, but he has done nothing to fix it.”
Miner, meanwhile, put out a statement immediately following Cuomo’s primary win that ticked off a number of recent misfires involving the governor’s administration, including its decision to speed up the opening of the final span of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Cuomo held an opening ceremony for the structure, only to have to postpone the actual opening after engineers warned that pieces of the old Tappan Zee Bridge, now being dismantled, could fall onto motorists.
“Andrew Cuomo just spent at least $21 million to win the Democratic primary, enough to overcome his problems with corruption, rampant pay to play behavior, excessive use of state aircraft, a rushed bridge opening, and a dirtytricks mailer about an opponent,” Miner said.
Expect Cuomo to mount a vigorous defense — and to try to make the race about Donald Trump.
Also in the race are Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Larry Sharpe.
“Scared to death”
That’s what most New Yorkers should be after liberal candidates — including one socialist — prevailed in legislative primaries, according to Republican Senate Leader John Flanagan.
The Long Island lawmaker vowed to fight hard to keep Republicans in control of the chamber, warning that if Democrats take over they will raise taxes and fees, shift resources from upstate and Long Island to New York City and stunt economic growth.
Several Democratic challengers defeated incumbents in Thursday’s primary, including Julia Salazar, who bested Sen. Martin Dilan in Brooklyn. Flanagan seized on Salazar’s status as a Democratic Socialist.
“The Democrat socialists are on the march, and if they are allowed to implement their radical agenda, New York will never be the same,” he said.
Coming up
The state Assembly’s Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development will hold a joint hearing with the Subcommittee on Museums and Cultural Institutions Sept. 26 in Manhattan to discuss the economic impact of arts and cultural organizations.