Governor Cuomo left behind a legacy of scandal, corruption, and mismanagement. He cut public schools to the bone, covered up the true number of COVID-19 nursing home deaths to secure his multi-million dollar book deal, helped fuel New York City’s housing affordability crisis, had 13 women come forward to report being sexually harassed by him, and then used his lawyers and millions in taxpayer dollars to attack and retaliate against the victims. He cut mental health services and community-based programs that helped struggling New Yorkers, and he closed down psychiatric facilities, which has fueled the city’s homelessness and mentally ill population. Ultimately, he resigned in disgrace.
Just like the MAGA movement swept a disgraced Donald Trump back into the White House, Andrew Cuomo is hoping that voter frustration in New York will help everyone forget the offenses that led him to resign in disgrace less than four years ago. Cuomo is expected to announce his New York Mayoral run any day now. As you consider making an endorsement for Mayor, we urge you to reflect on what you or your organization would actually be supporting should you choose to endorse Andrew Cuomo.
Throughout his ten years as governor, Andrew Cuomo was the primary roadblock to adequately funding education in New York. His excuses changed, but the resulting impact on students was relentless and severe.
Cuomo’s broken promise to fund schools
When Andrew Cuomo was a candidate running for governor of New York in 2010, he admitted the way we fund education through property taxes was unfair and that the State needed to equalize the difference in funding between wealthy and low income districts by fully funding CFE.
But 10 years into his reign as Governor, Cuomo had still not fully funded public schools. In fact, his staunch opposition to funding public education caused the spending gap between the wealthiest and poorest students to spike dramatically, from $8,623 per pupil in 2011 to a record high of $10,400 in 2020, a 20 percent increase. That gap put New York second to last in school funding equity nationwide.
Loved by privatizers, paid for by billionaires
As Governor, Andrew Cuomo cut over $1 billion from public schools – disproportionately hurting Black, brown, and lower-income students and communities – all while giving tax breaks to the millionaires and billionaires who bankrolled his campaigns. Many of his biggest donors were hedge fund billionaires pushing charter school expansion, and Cuomo rewarded them by advancing privatization at the expense of public schools and the communities they serve.
A 2019 Hedge Clippers report revealed that a majority of New York’s wealthiest billionaires backed Cuomo and, in return, he protected their wealth with tax breaks and corporate giveaways.
In addition to his onslaught of attacks on public education and beyond the scandals, Cuomo’s leadership failed everyday New Yorkers. Under his watch, housing became more unaffordable, the MTA remained broken, public schools went underfunded, and small businesses struggled to recover while he prioritized his own political ambitions. His history of bullying and backroom deals is not what New York City needs in a mayor.
New Yorkers deserve better. We urge voters, parents, community members, and educators to reject Andrew Cuomo’s bid for mayor and instead support leadership that puts the people first.