While New York’s two US Senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with State Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Shelley Mayer, and Allesandra Biaggi, and Assemblymembers Amy Paulin and almost every other member of the State delegation to Albany from Westchester have called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign, State Senator Peter Harckham issued the following statement on March 12,
“Right now, the governance of New York State is suffering from compromised leadership that is under investigation. Instead of focusing on important business, like safeguarding residents from Covid-19 and restoring our economy, our executive is using precious time and state resources to refute serious allegations about misreporting nursing homes deaths during the coronavirus pandemic and sexual assault and harassment from numerous women. I adamantly condemn sexual assault and harassment; and I stand with the women making these allegations.To ensure stability and confidence on every level in our state government, it is time for Governor Cuomo to, at a minimum, step aside, and allow Lt. Governor Hochul to take over daily leadership of New York State. This will allow the state government to continue its time-sensitive work on the Budget and pending legislation while allowing due process to move forward.”
For many in Harckham’s 40th District, asking Governor Cuomo to step aside is not enough. “What does step aside mean? That he (Cuomo) can come back?” asked Jack S., a hairdresser in Jefferson Valley NY. “I think that after all of the women that have come forward it is time for Cuomo to leave. Why won’t he (Harckham) say that Gov. Cuomo should resign?”
Many believe that Governor Cuomo handpicked Harckham to run for State Senate back in 2018, when he defeated then Sen. Terrence Murphy by a narrow margin. Harkcham then defeated former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, again by a narrow margin, in 2020.
We also asked Alphonso Jerimiah, outside of DeCiccos supermarket in Jefferson Valley, and he said, “At this point there should be no middle ground. I think that Cuomo should either resign, or if he refuses to go, then he should be impeached. I voted for Cuomo and I voted for Sen. Harckham, but I don’t want any semantics or dancing around this serious issues. I have two teenage daughters, and this type of crap shouldn’t be happening in 2021. Enough already.”
Prior to joining the State Senate, Senator Harckham worked for Governor Cuomo on the former Tappan Zee Bridge, now Mario Cuomo Bridge contruction project. Questions are also being raised about the financing of the bridge, a lawsuit by construction companies for payment, and the quality of work performed on the $4 Billion bridge.
