CUONO!
Thousands petition to remove Mario’s name from bridge
Bring back the Tappan Zee! More than 45,000 people have signed a petition to change the name of the new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge back to the Hudson River crossing’s former moniker, the Tappan Zee — and that’s only in the past 14 days.
The newly opened $4 billion span was built alongside the old Tappan Zee Bridge between Westchester and Rockland counties to replace the aged crossover. The Tappan Zee is now being demolished.
The Change.org petition decries the last-minute legislation passed over the summer that named the new span after Gov. Cuomo’s late father, a threeterm Democratic governor.
“While Mr. [Mario] Cuomo may be deserving of something named after him, it should not be at the expense of history, and the original settlers of our land: the Tappan Indians and the Dutch,’’ writes the petition’s creator, Monroe Mann of Port Chester.
“The name Tappan Zee has no politics associated with it. And it properly recognizes the true founders of this land: the Tappan Indians and the Dutch. [ Zee is Dutch for sea.]
“Plus, it sounds cool to say, ‘I’m taking the Tappan Zee.’ It does not sound cool to say, ‘I’m taking the Cuomo.’ Come on, people!”
Monroe added New Yorkers were “furious” the decision was made withoutut public input.
Petition signer Hollis Glaser of Tarrytown said history is being erased as honors go too politicians.
“I’m sick of landmarks beinging named for politicians. We’re losing the history and the sense of place,” he wrote. State Republicans were also initially up in arms over the push for Cuomo Bridge, which was renamed the Gov. Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge from the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1994. Cuomo was pushing to name the bridge after his dad, and the final vote approving the bill came in the middle of the night in June. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Republican Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan wwere ththe sponsors. A governor’s spospokeswoman, AbAbbey Fashouour, dismissed the petition as a “politically partpartisan” effort. “TThe law was passpassed by an oveoverwhelming mmajority of both Democrats and Republicans, and it is a fitting tribute to a lifelong public servant who achieved great things for the people of New York,” she said.
But Mann, a Republican, responded in an e-mail, “This is NOT political. I don’t want it named the Giuliani, Reagan, or Trump bridge, either. Is [Gov. Cuomo’s] father more important than the Tappan Indians?”
Still, one Rockland resident said there are more important things to worry about.
“It’s just recognition of a great governor of a great state,’’ said Diane Serratore, executive director of the anti-hunger charity People to People.
“If I were the governor and could name something after my father who was the governor, I would,’’ she said. “I understand the sentiment around [the opposition], but I kind of think we need to get past that.’’