Latest news with #mayoralDebate
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuomo the accused sex harasser targets comptroller foe over dog-neutering, smoking-ban suits
Accused serial sex harasser and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo has tried to make hay of city lawsuits involving Comptroller foe Brad Lander over issues such as dog-neutering. Cuomo leveled his attack against Lander during Wednesday's mayoral debate, and the 15 lawsuits he tied to the city moneyman were later listed in a Thursday social-media post by his campaign. But in all but one of the lawsuits, Lander was only a nominally listed defendant, with many of the suits filed against the City Council, a review by The Post found. And none of the suits accused Lander of personal wrongdoing, unlike some of the accusations levied at Cuomo. The suits tangentially involving Lander span three mayoral administrations and include legal fights over a pro-smoking group fighting smoking bans, dog-neutering laws and a pair of shelter residents filing pro-se lawsuits over asbestos allegations. Cuomo rep Rich Azzopardi told The Post that his boss's comments on the debate stage were about Lander taking issue with the state footing the former governor's legal bills, pointing out that taxpayers have paid for suits against the comptroller, too. Cuomo — who resigned as governor in August 2021 over sex-harassment and COVID nursing-home controversies — has denied all of the accusations against him. 'Lander has amnesia,' Azzopardi said, adding that the substance of the suits was irrelevant and that the accusations against Cuomo have faced difficulties in court. But Lander rep Dora Pekec said substance is the issue. 'While Brad Lander got sued by the cigarette lobby for protecting our children from secondary smoke, predator Andrew Cuomo got sued by numerous employees for sexual abuse, faced looming impeachment, and forced taxpayers to spend $60 million trying to make these scandals go away,' Pekec said in a statement. 'No wonder Cuomo keeps lying about both of their records,' Pekec said. Lindsey Boylan, one of the first of a dozen women who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, said, 'Cuomo will lie and smear every day of the week to serve himself. 'That's what abusers do.' While Cuomo's debate-night comment began as a response to Lander citing the more than $60 million taxpayers have been forced to shell out for lawsuits regarding sexual harassment and COVID allegations against the ex-gov, Cuomo's comments quickly turned to the legal substance of the cited lawsuits. 'He was sued 15 times,' Cuomo said at the debate. 'He was sued by parents of the disabled. He was sued by homeless providers who said he was unaware, he didn't do anything about the safety conditions. He was sued by people who said he mismanaged the pension fund.' Lander repeatedly said, 'False, false' as Cuomo spoke. The only cited suit that challenged an official decision by Lander was over his move to divest the city's pension fund from fossil fuels — with a state appeal court upholding the suit's dismissal in March. The rest of the suits have next to nothing to do with Lander as comptroller — or City Council member. One was a challenge to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's indoor smoking ban by a pro-smoking group, whose website states their mission is to 'end the discrimination against smokers by exposing the anti-smoking lies' and insisting 'smoking is normal.' Other suits include zoning fights, a law requiring pet stores to sell neutered pooches and a lawsuit by a disability advocacy group over emergency preparedness — which lists neither City Council nor Lander as a defendant. When Cuomo said Lander was 'sued by the parents of the disabled,' he was referring to a pair of suits filed against the city's Education Department — a routine way to secure funding to attend a specialized school for kids with brain injuries. And the suits by 'homeless providers' were a pair of nearly identical pro-se lawsuits filed against the city Department of Homeless Services by residents of a Fort Washington shelter over COVID-19 and asbestos claims. In both suits, Lander is listed nominally as the comptroller, typical for lawsuits filed against the city. A search of federal court records show that Lander has actually been sued more than 15 times — with 19 results as a civil defendant. By comparison, Cuomo appears 1,009 times, stretching back to his time with the federal government.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate: five key takeaways
In the first debate of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, nine candidates took the stage and fielded questions on housing, affordability, crime, policing, public safety, political regrets and how each candidate would handle the Trump administration if elected. The candidates included former New York governor Andrew Cuomo; democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani; the New York City council speaker, Adrienne Adams; the current New York City comptroller, Brad Lander; former comptroller Scott Stringer; former Bronx assemblyman Michael Blake; state senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos; and former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. The current mayor, Eric Adams, was not present on Wednesday as he is running for re-election as an independent candidate, although he ran as a Democrat in 2021. A few takeaways from the debate: Throughout the debate, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, the current frontrunner in the race, was grilled on his record by his Democratic rivals. Cuomo spent much of the night sparring with progressive state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is polling second. Mamdani accused Cuomo of being beholden to wealthy donors and corporate interests, saying Cuomo prioritized the '1%, the billionaires and the profitable corporations', over 'working-class New Yorkers'. Cuomo dismissed the 33-year-old as inexperienced, calling Mamdani 'very good on Twitter and with videos' but saying he was someone who 'produces nothing'. 'He's been in government 27 minutes, he passed three bills, that's all he's done,' Cuomo said. 'He has no experience with Washington, no experience with New York City.' Trump came up several times, as the candidates agreed the next mayor must be ready to stand up to his administration if elected mayor, though they differed on who was best equipped to do so. 'I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I've dealt with him before,' Cuomo said, citing his experience as New York governor. Mamdani warned that 'President Trump will target whomever is the next mayor of this city' and said that is 'important that we have a mayor who will fight back and that is what I will do'. 'I am Donald Trump's worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,' Mamdani added. 'And the difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC.' Cuomo fired back, saying that 'Donald Trump would go through Mr Mamdani like a hot knife through butter'. 'He would be Trump's delight,' Cuomo added. Mamdani countered: 'It's true that I don't have experience with corrupt Trump billionaires that are funding my campaign. I don't have experience with party politics and insider consultants. I do have experience, however, with winning $450m in debt relief for thousands of working-class taxi drivers and actually delivering for working-class people.' Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York city council, said she would take legal action against Trump when necessary. Asked how they would respond if the Trump administration ordered city-run hospitals to stop providing care to undocumented patients or risk losing millions in federal funding, all candidates voiced strong opposition to Trump's recent crackdown on immigration in general. 'You cannot give in to Mr Trump and his demands,' Cuomo said. 'If you give in to him, he is a bully, I know him well, if you give in to him today, you will be giving him your lunch money for the rest of your life.' 'You have to fight him and the way you fight him is not by suing him,' the former governor said. 'We need a national coalition, which we can put together of like-minded states and cities that will oppose these actions and then we're going to have to eventually beat him politically in Congress.' Whitney Tilson said that if Trump were to act 'illegally to try and blackmail us, you have to sue to restore that funding', adding that he was 'appalled by what Trump is doing to terrorize immigrant communities' and would 'fight him tooth and nail'. Mamdani said that New York City was 'under attack by an authoritarian Trump administration'. 'The way that we fight back is ensure that our local institutions continue to provide the services to each and every New Yorker,' he said. 'We will tell those institutions that we will provide that funding and we will get that funding by taxing the 1% and the wealthiest corporations.' Pressed about his administration's handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic – a 2021 report by the New York attorney general found that his office undercounted thousands of deaths of state nursing home residents – Cuomo defended his record, claiming the numbers were not, in fact, undercounted. He also denied the sexual harassment allegations against him that led to his resignation. 'I said at the time that if I offended anyone it was unintentional but I apologize and I say that today,' he said. Asked about their biggest political regret, city council speaker Adrienne Adams took a swipe at the current mayor. 'My biggest regret is believing that Eric Adams would be a good mayor for all New Yorkers,' she said. The city's comptroller, Brad Lander, said that he regretted not pushing 'for more housing in his Brooklyn district when he was a city council member'. Mandani used the moment to target Cuomo once more, saying that 'as a Democrat, one of my regrets is having trusted the leaders within our own party, leaders like Andrew Cuomo'. Cuomo, on the other hand, said his biggest regret was 'the state of the Democratic party', which prompted backlash from other candidates on stage. 'No personal regrets?' asked Adrienne Adams. 'No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or healthcare? No regrets when it comes to slow-walking PPE and vaccinations in the season of Covid to Black and brown communities? Really, no regrets?' Cuomo said her claims were 'not accurate', adding: 'Medicaid went up under me. I pushed President Trump to give us everything he had, leading the way during Covid.' The moderators asked the candidates how much they pay in rent or mortgage in New York City. Adams said she owned her home and that it was paid off; Mamdani said he pays $2,300 a month in rent for a rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria. Blake said he spends about $1,800 for a home that he owns, while Myrie said his rent-stabilized apartment was $1,300 a month and Ramos said her rent was $2,500 a month. Lander said his mortgage was $3,300 a month. Cuomo said that he pays $7,800 a month, while Tilson said that he owned his home and paid about $5,000 per month in maintenance fees and taxes. Stringer said he pays $6,400.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Democratic candidates for New York mayor spar over housing, Covid and Trump
Nine Democratic candidates for New York City mayor faced off on Wednesday evening in the first of two debates ahead of this month's primary election. Held without a live audience, the two-hour debate focused on issues facing New York City, including housing, affordability, crime, policing, public safety, and how each candidate would handle the Trump administration if elected. From the outset, the two frontrunners, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Queens Assemblyman and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, sparred over their records. Mamdani, who has seen a recent surge in popularity, accused Cuomo of being beholden to wealthy donors and corporate interests, adding that he cared more about the '1%', 'the billionaires and the profitable corporations' than 'working-class New Yorkers.' 'The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC,' Mamdani said. Cuomo, who is mounting a political comeback after resigning from office in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, dismissed 33-year-old Mamdani as inexperienced. 'He's been in government 27 minutes' Cuomo said. If Mamdani were elected Mayor, Cuomo added, Trump would go through him like a 'hot knife through butter.' The crowded debate stage also featured Adrienne Adams, speaker of the New York City Council; Brad Lander, the current New York City comptroller; Scott Stringer, the former comptroller; Michael Blake, a former state assemblyman from the Bronx; Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn state senator; Jessica Ramos, a Queens state senator; and Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager. Cuomo was a frequent target throughout the night, with candidates launching attacks at his record, criticizing his handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic and the sexual harassment allegations. A 2021 report by the New York attorney general found that the Cuomo administration undercounted thousands of deaths of state nursing home residents during the pandemic. On Wednesday, Cuomo defended the report and insisted that nursing home deaths were not undercounted. 'There was no doubt that my administration produced the report, and it did not undercount the deaths,' Cuomo said. He also defended himself against the harassment claims, saying, 'the report was done. Nothing has come out of it.' Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams was also frequently criticized on the debate stage despite not being there. Adams announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election as an independent candidate although he ran as a Democrat in 2021. At one point, when asked about their biggest political regrets, City Council speaker Adrienne Adams replied, 'My biggest regret is believing that Eric Adams would be a good mayor for all New Yorkers.' Mamdani said his regret was 'trusting leaders of Democratic party like Cuomo.' While Cuomo answered: 'the state of the Democratic party' prompting backlash from Speaker Adams. 'No personal regrets?' she asked. 'No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or healthcare? No regrets when it comes to slow-walking PPE and vaccinations in the season of Covid to Black and brown communities? Really, no regrets?'. Cuomo pushed back, calling her claims 'inaccurate' and saying that 'Medicaid went up under me.' Wednesday's debate marked the first of two scheduled Democratic primary debates before the primary election later this month. The second debate is set for 12 June. The Democratic primary election will be held on 24 June, with early voting beginning 10 days earlier, on 14 June. New Yorkers will cast their votes using ranked-choice ballot, allowing them to select up to five candidates in order of preference. The general mayoral election is scheduled for 4 November.
