In a 17-minute video announcing his candidacy for mayor of New York City, Andrew Cuomo tells voters that his long record as governor makes him uniquely qualified for the job. "I know what needs to be done, and I know how to do it," Cuomo says. Concerned about how the Trump administration will attack our city? "I will stand up and fight for New York," Cuomo assures us.
But according to several former Cuomo staffers, the ex-governor is ill-equipped to manage a city of 8.5 million people. The staffers, who spoke with Hell Gate shortly before he entered the race on Saturday, pointed to Cuomo's lack of experience in municipal government, his infamously aggressive style of management that they said is more suited to backroom deals in Albany than overseeing basic services, and his preference for press releases over policy, as reasons to be deeply skeptical of his candidacy.
They also questioned Cuomo's record of standing up to President Trump, cited his refusal to meaningfully reckon with the numerous credible allegations of sexual harassment made against him, and noted that many of the social problems he is running to fix—helping mentally ill New Yorkers, addressing the housing and affordability crises—got worse under his watch.
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