Cuomo rejects rising calls from lawmakers to resign

The two top Democrats in New York’s legislature withdrew their support for Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment and undercounting COVID19 deaths in nursing homes.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins became the first senior Democrat in the state to say the threeterm governor should resign. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie stopped short of demanding that Cuomo quit, but said in a statement that “it is time for the Governor to seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York.”

On Saturday, two more women who worked for Cuomo publicly accused him of inappropriate behavior, on the heels of other allegations in recent weeks.

“Every day there is another account that is drawing away from the business of government,” StewartCousins said. “New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the societal, health and economic impacts of it. We need to govern without daily distraction. For the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign.”

Her push for his resignation came shortly after a Sunday press conference where Cuomo said it would be “antidemocratic” for him to step down.

“They don’t override the people’s will, they don’t get to override elections,” Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters when asked about members of his own party calling for him to resign. “I was elected by the people of New York state. I wasn’t elected by politicians.”

Cuomo said the next six months will determine how successfully New York emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m not going to be distracted because there is too much to do for the people,” he said, noting that the state must pass a budget within three weeks and administer 15 million more COVID19 vaccines.

Asked about Ana Liss, who told the Wall Street Journal in a story published Saturday that when she worked as a policy aide to the governor between 2013 and 2015, Cuomo called her “sweetheart,” kissed her hand and asked personal questions including whether she had a boyfriend, Cuomo said such talk was “my way of doing friendly banter.”

He acknowledged that societal norms have evolved and noted: “I never meant to make anyone feel any uncomfortable.”