Pols eyeing city posts agree on Cuomo curb
Several New York State lawmakers running for top jobs in city government waded into the fray over whether Gov. Cuomo should be stripped of his emergency COVID-era powers — with most saying they support the idea.
But those legislators also stopped short of calling for Cuomo to be impeached, as mayoral hopeful Dianne Morales did this week.
Of lawmakers who serve in the state Senate and Assembly, at least seven are running for either city comptroller, borough president or district attorney.
State Sens. Brian Benjamin (D-Manhattan) and Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), as well as Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens), are running for comptroller. Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywomen Nathalia Fernandez (D-Bronx) and Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn) are running for borough president in their respective boroughs. And Assemblyman Dan Quart (D-Manhattan) is running for district attorney in his borough.
And until now, they have remained relatively mum publicly when it comes to stripping Cuomo of his powers and impeaching him
Last year, when New York was the epicenter of the pandemic, the Legislature gave Cuomo expanded emergency powers to manage the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. But allegations about his mishandling of COVID-19 in nursing homes and his administration’s failure to provide detailed information about deaths in nursing homes in a timely way now have many lawmakers pushing to roll back those powers. Republicans — and some Democrats — have also called for his impeachment.
Simon wants to rescind some of Cuomo’s added pandemic-era powers, but said the matter still requires more scrutiny in terms of exactly which powers to take back.
“If you’re going to rescind, you have to know what you’re rescinding,” she said. “Calling for it is one thing. Doing it in a responsible way is another thing.”
She also said, “I don’t think impeachment makes any sense at all.”
Benjamin, Weprin and Hoylman all said no to impeachment as well. But their positions on rolling back Cuomo’s powers varied.
“We’re working on that issue as a collective body,” Sen. Hoylman said. “The Legislature needs to play a bigger role moving forward.”
Benjamin emphasized the need for “centralized leadership” during a public health crisis.
“Without centralized leadership,” he said, “we will see different rules in each municipality — particularly in pro-Trump areas where there could be a complete disregard for science and the safety of the people.”
Weprin praised Cuomo for “doing his best to keep New Yorkers safe,” but added, “The need for accountability remains vital.”
Quart didn’t rule out impeachment as an option, but stopped short of supporting it, saying, “There must be accountability from our leaders — especially in times of crisis. The emergency powers should not be renewed and should end sooner rather than later.”
Fernandez declined to comment on impeachment. Her spokeswoman pointed to a statement she made calling for Cuomo to be stripped of his expanded powers.
Parker did not respond to messages.