Governor Andrew Cuomo made an appearance in Yonkers on April 22 as part of a daylong tour of the state to announce that anyone over the age of 60 could receive the coronavirus vaccine at the state’s 16 mass immunization sites without an appointment. The Governor appeared at the Yonkers Police Athletic League, PAL, which is next to a vaccination site at the New York National Guard Armory in Yonkers.
Joining the Governor at the announcement were Mayor MIke Spano, Assemblymember Nader Sayegh, County Executive George Latimer and State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Reporters were not allowed into the PAL as per directive from the Governor.
At the event, Cuomo exchanged pleasantries with all, including Stewart-Cousins, with the two exchanging an elbow bump, which it turns out, was the elbow bump heard across New York State. “It has been a long horrendous year with COVID. We’ve all suffered here, but spring is here, the sun is out,” said Cuomo. “We’re poised for rebirth.”
All eyes were on two of the three “most powerful people in New York State.” Others described it as an event “with a massive elephant in the room.” That elephant is the fact that Cuomo remains under investigaiton from NY Attorney General Leticia James for sexual harrassment claims made by several women. Stewart-Cousins has called for Cuomo to resign because of the charges made against him.
“Thank you for being here and congratulations on a great budget,” Cuomo told Stewart-Cousins. The Senate Majority Leader made a few innocuous comments about the State budget and the continued efforts to get vaccinated.
“Thank you also for talking about the work that we did on this budget, because it really, I think it’s extraordinary, because it is a people-centered budget. We’re here because of what the governor said,” Stewart-Cousins said. “At the center of all of us is making sure we have our health.
After the event, many of the chattering class were abuzz because Stewart-Cousins attended the event with Cuomo, and exchanged in an elbow bump. NY1 reported, “Some New York state lawmakers were “completely shocked” by Stewart-Cousins’ appearance at the event.”
Erica Vladimir, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, said Stewart-Cousins sent mixed signals by sharing the event with Cuomo. “Andrea Stewart-Cousins did what she had to do to get her district resources, and now it’s time to remind the public that she believes power abusers need to be held accountable. She needs to reiterate her demand for him to resign.”
“I hope that it’s not a signal for others to think it’s okay to stand with him when we don’t have accountability for his actions. We shouldn’t normalize these behaviors by standing with him on any issue,” said NYC state Assemblyman Ron Kim.
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, who represents Pelham in Westchester County, tweeted, “April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so how can you prevent sexual violence? Don’t participate in the *normalization* of abusive people & behaviors, make excuses for known abusers, or pretend it’s not real. That’s abusive.”
Anna Liss, one of Cuomo’s accusers, Tweeted, “I don’t think it was a wise decision. Given the circumstances, no one should be going about their lives as though things are ‘business as usual,’ especially elected officials in the governor’s orbit.”
Through spokesman Mike Murphy, Stewart-Cousins said, “Our position on the governor has not changed but this event is in her district and it important that people get vaccinated and she has been pushing to expand access to this location for a long time.”
If Stewart-Cousins had not appeared, or had somehow dissed Cuomo at the event, then all the talk would have been how she disrespected the Governor. For the vast majority of the people of Westchester, who she represents, Stewart-Cousins took the lead this year in the budget process, obtained record state education aid for Yonkers, and has called on Cuomo to resign. That is enough.
