Bill feels it’s time to put his dukes up
ALBANY — After nearly 18 months of being one of Gov. Cuomo’s favorite whipping boys, Mayor de Blasio has had enough, those close to him say. De Blasio has decided there is no upside in continuing to hold his tongue while he is publicly embarrassed by the governor, a fellow Democrat and his supposed friend of 20 years, sources say.
The change to a more aggressive tone began Friday and continued over the weekend with Hizzoner declaring that Cuomo has not been a partner or showing leadership when it comes to the crucial issues facing the city.
“He’s sending a message he won’t be a punching bag,” said one insider.
Added one source close to de Blasio: “I don’t think the mayor is going to look for fights with the governor in the way the governor seems to enjoy picking them with the mayor — but staying silent doesn’t achieve anything. He’s going to tell the truth.”
In March, the Daily News reported de Blasio was at what an insider called “wit’s end” over the harsh treatment he’s received from Cuomo. One source at the time quoted him as saying: “I don’t know what to do. Why does he keep coming at me like this? I want it to work.”
De Blasio had hoped his relationship with the governor would improve after he helped organize a deal that led the reluctant left-leaning Working Families Party to endorse Cuomo’s reelection.
But Cuomo quickly went back to his alpha dog ways, at times seemingly going out of his way to embarrass the mayor. The last straw was when Cuomo on Thursday accused de Blasio of waiting until the last minute to push the city’s agenda.
“Bill had been engaging with the governor on the assumption that he was a rational actor who would want to maintain at least a cordial relationship so they can work together in areas where they have common interests. But the governor’s only interest is his poll numbers and who’s winning the news cycle that day,” said one operative who often works closely with the mayor.
Some longtime Capitol observers wonder why it’s taken de Blasio so long to fire back.
“It’s in the mayor’s interest right now to show that he can be a little punchy,” an insider said. “He’s got a little of a wimp factor he’s fighting. That’s a problem for him.”
Others note that the governor is someone who only respects strength.
Cuomo spokeswoman Melissa DeRosa said the latest disagreement is over a policy dispute in which the governor believes the mayor’s plan to revamp a tax break program for developers who provide affordable housing in their new buildings has “serious flaws.” “The governor is focused on resolving these issues,” DeRosa said.
While tension between governors and mayors is common, Cuomo and de Blasio vowed their relationship would be different because of their supposed 20-year friendship. But to longtime observers, their public relationship has been the worst since the early days when George Pataki was governor and Rudy Giuliani mayor.
“Interestingly, those two guys were from the same party as well,” one source said of the two Republicans.
lll Albany is again on edge with reports last week that several prominent players with access to Gov. Cuomo and other major state government figures are either cooperating with the feds or under investigation.
Anthony Bonomo, a big-time donor to state politicians in both parties, and who was recently named by Cuomo as chairman of the New York Racing Association, last week was referenced — but not by name — in the indictment against former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau County) for allegedly giving the senator’s son a $100,000 no-show job.
And Steve Pigeon, a registered lobbyist and longtime Democratic operative from western New York who has done work for Cuomo, had his home raided by state and federal investigators as part of a probe into his fund-raising activities.
Meanwhile, Charles Dorego, a top executive at Glenwood Management, has been cooperating with the feds in separate cases against Skelos and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
“These are not just nobodys,” one insider said. “If there’s something to be known about the governor, his office or anyone else in Albany, they know it.”