
This lights-out fire sale is another grim reminder of Andrew Cuomo's expensive ego
Yes, the vast light displays Cuomo envisioned would have looked cool, but nobody else across New York government thought it worth the expense and trouble — so the scheme aborted after a host of scandals forced the gov from office.
Cuomo had used his power to push the Power Authority into financing the 'investment'; it's since been stuck also paying some $300,000 a year in storage costs, bringing to the total tab of the bridge-light project to $108 million.
And now it's belatedly auctioning off the lights, hoping it can at least recover a few pennies on the dollar.
Stuck covering the loss (as they must also pay for many of the impossible green-energy schemes Cuomo mandated in pursuit of his national ambitions) are the Power Authority's long-suffering customers.
This was hardly the only Cuomo vanity project; he 'gave' (you paid) New York a $15 million 'film hub' that the state wound up selling off for $1; a $90 million lightbulb factory that never opened; $30 million in Andrew-designed tunnel-tile mosaics, plans for a pointless $2 billion AirTrain and so much more.
His host of 'AndyLand' projects burned at least $10 billion in taxpayer money.
Remarkably, the ex-gov is not the very worst candidate for mayor this year, but that's still no reason for anyone to hail him as the city's savior.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani Torches Cuomo With 1 Brutal Zinger: 'I Don't Need To Do Much'
New York City's Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani doubled down Thursday after releasing a viral campaign video highlighting a link between his opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mamdani pounced on the subject during a press conference in the Bronx, where he was asked if the video was intended to make Cuomo appear unlikable by pairing him with someone as disgraced as Epstein, an accused sex trafficker. 'I don't need to do much to make the governor appear extremely dislikable,' Mamdani said. 'The intent of that video was to shine a light on what journalists have uncovered over many months, which is the fact of what the former governor did after resigning in disgrace.' Related: 'We know that which has been reported, and yet we also know that there is likely more,' he continued. 'Because, as is the case with Andrew Cuomo, when you think you found out about all of his scandals — there seems to always be another one.' Cuomo slammed Mamdani last week for campaigning on more affordable housing in New York City while living in a rent-controlled apartment, only for Mamdani to share clippings from major media outlets who covered Cuomo's most recent scandals. Related: 'Finally in June, the New York Times covered that Cuomo had worked with his longtime friend Andrew Farkas on a luxury marina project in Puerto Rico,' Mamdani said in the video. 'Farka's previous partner on luxury marinas in the Caribbean? Jeffrey Epstein.' The paper reported at the time that Cuomo declined to share information about the clients and companies who paid him as a consultant after resigning in 2021, but noted the marina project and two other deals had already come to light — as Mamdani noted in his video. Mamdani on Cuomo: "I don't need to do much to make the governor appear extremely dislikable." — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 14, 2025 'Cuomo advised a cryptocurrency exchange based in the Seychelles as it faced federal investigations,' he said in the clip. 'Then in May, Politico reported that Cuomo failed to disclose $2.6 million in stock options to the New York City Conflicts of Interest board.' Cuomo spoke ahead of Mamdani on Thursday and said New York City faces 'serious difficulty' in fighting unemployment. Mamdani, who has slammed President Donald Trump for his potential involvement in the mayoral race, leapt on the comment Thursday. 'To hear from a former governor about the difficulties of attracting additional jobs without the recognition of what the Trump administration has done to make it so difficult ...' said Mamdani, citing Trump's tariffs and the current 'business climate' hampering local tourism. Related: 'We're seeing estimates of about a $4 billion loss compared to other years in this city,' he said. 'That is something that has massive ramifications for the ability for our city to continue functioning as it has, and yet I cannot recall the last time the former governor even brought that up.' Related... Zohran Mamdani Slams Possible Trump Involvement In NYC Mayoral Race Meghan McCain Taunts Andrew Cuomo And Makes Stunning Prediction For NYC Mayor Race Washington Sues To Block Trump's Federal Takeover Of Its Police Department
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Cuomo, pressed by Mamdani, declines to release names of consulting clients
NEW YORK — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday he won't release his client list from his time working as a consultant after his 2021 resignation because of privacy issues, an issue that has been pressed during this year's mayoral election. Cuomo's opponent, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, called on his rival to release the client list in a video posted on Tuesday, accusing him of trying to cover up scandals. But Cuomo, during a news conference Thursday on economic development plans, said he couldn't name names because of 'attorney-client privilege.' He did say he's worked for 'podcasts, I've advocated for certain causes that are dear to me, worked with organizations, pro-Israel organizations among others, practicing law.' The former governor said he had no clients before the city or state government, and that he hasn't done any lobbying work. It's been previously revealed that his clients include a crypto company that pleaded guilty to operating illegally in the U.S. and a luxury marina in Puerto Rico. Cuomo also joined a legal team defending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from allegations of war crimes in Gaza. A spokesman for the former governor said that the 'podcast' he worked on was his own, titled 'As a matter of fact with Andrew Cuomo.' 'We learned Andrew Cuomo advised an offshore illegal crypto exchange and failed to disclose nearly $3 million in nuclear stock options only after investigate journalists uncovered it — what else is he hiding?' Mamdani spokeswoman Dora Pekec said in a statement. 'After four years of endless corruption at City Hall, New Yorkers deserve a mayor who will wake up every day and work for them, not engage in pay-to-play.' Cuomo created his consulting business, Innovation Strategies LLC, after resigning as governor after several allegations of sexual harassment, which he denies.


Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Criticism over socialist NYC candidate Mamdani's rent-stabilized apartment mounts after ethics complaint
Criticism against socialist candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, over his acquisition of a rent-stabilized apartment as someone who makes close to $150,000 a year, is ramping up after a watchdog issued a complaint to New York's government ethics commission. The issue came front-and-center earlier this month after Mamdani's opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, began criticizing Mamdani for occupying a rent-stabilized apartment as a New York state assemblyperson who makes around $150,000 per year. Cuomo recently announced plans to pass "Zohran's Law," which he said would "keep the rich out of New York's affordable housing." "It has been reported that New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani resides in a one-bedroom, rent-stabilized apartment in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. In public statements, Mr. Mamdani has said his monthly rent is approximately $2,300. According to publicly available rental market data, the average rent for a comparable one-bedroom in Astoria is about $3,002," stated a complaint filed with the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government by American Institute for Economic Research economist Jason Sorens, reviewed by Fox News Digital. "Questions have been raised in public discussion about the timeline of his tenancy in relation to when New York State ethics rules apply to elected officials," Sorens complaint continued. "If at the start of Mr. Mamdani's tenancy, the relevant ethics regulations were applicable to him, then it could be appropriate to investigate whether any assistance he may have received in securing a rent-stabilized apartment qualified as a gift under the law." Mamdani's campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital, but the Democratic Party candidate has argued that he moved into the apartment when he was only making $47,000 and was not even aware of the fact it was rent-stabilized. "Right-wing think tanks and MAGA billionaires' pathetic attempts to distract from Zohran Mamdani's mission to make NYC more affordable will fail, just as they did in the primary where New Yorkers resoundingly rejected Andrew Cuomo in a humiliating defeat," Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said, according to the New York Post. However, Sorens described Mamdani's defense that he didn't know his apartment was rent-stabilized as "implausible," citing the mayoral candidate's background working as a foreclosure specialist. "I've candidly found it implausible that while working as a Tenant Advocate, he would not know that his own apartment was rent stabilized, particularly since it's such a big benefit, not just when you sign the lease, but obviously for every year going forward that you maintain it," Sorens said. "I don't know about you, but for my family, that would be a significant windfall. We would notice that. So it's curious, maybe he was telling the truth, but it is curious that he insists that he didn't know." Sorens also argued that given the scarcity of affordable apartments in New York City, "it invites a question about whether someone may have helped him as a politically connected activist." "The bigger picture here, really, is that, you know, I'm not a political operative. I'm an economist. But I study rent control, and one of the negative side effects of rent control and rent stabilization is that these policies create an artificial skinny of affordable apartments, and it rewards having pull," Sorens concluded.