The Andrew Cuomo era is back after a three-year hiatus. Tightly managed public events, finger-snapping protests and stern criticism for and from the political left were hallmarks from his time in Albany. Now, these elements are being applied to the up-close-and-personal world of mayoral campaigning — something Cuomo as a candidate has never experienced and a big change from the cloistered world of the state Capitol. Day two of the Cuomo comeback bid was met with protesters aghast by the prospect that the former governor, who was accused of sexual harassment by 11 women, could return to public office. Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing and won a handful of legal battles since his resignation. Nevertheless, his new rivals began to sharpen their attacks against him, lobbing criticism for his handling of Covid, for being soft on President Donald Trump and for, in their view, screwing over the city while governor. “Cuomo encourages corruption, silences accountability, and has stood by as Donald Trump conducts a hostile takeover of our local government,” state Sen. Zellnor Myrie said in a welcome-to-the-race statement. The former governor rolled out his long-awaited mayoral campaign this weekend, a surreal event for a time traveler plucked from August 2021 when the badly damaged moderate Democrat resigned amid a cascade of scandals. But less than four years (and one Trump comeback) later, there was Cuomo in a 17-and-a-half minute video — a Scorsese movie length campaign opening by the standards of modern attention spans — that ChatGPT could neatly summarize as “New York City is in crisis, strong leadership is needed, I’ve got the experience to fix it.” Without naming names, he blasted the “failed Democratic leadership” and “the lack of intelligent action” for the mess facing the city. As he accepted the endorsement of the New York City District Council of Carpenters on Sunday, Cuomo knocked his lefty opponents for backing calls to defund the police — accusing them of “regressive politics.” “We know that these politicians now running for mayor made a terrible, terrible mistake,” Cuomo said. “They uttered the three dumbest words ever uttered by a government official: Cut police funding.” Nothing with Cuomo is ever subtle: The epic video reintroduction and the downtown rally with the union were, in part, a demonstration to the New York political world that Cuomo’s campaign is fully armed and operational. He wants to be considered an effective manager with a sensible platform and a well of support from labor and elected officials — a combination that, with campaign cash, many expect will overwhelm lesser-known opponents. The scandals? He’s made mistakes and would have done some things differently, Cuomo acknowledged. But his early frontrunner status comes with a “kick me” sign on his back. As former city Comptroller Scott Stringer said, “Cuomo got on stage today, play acting as NYC’s savior — listing our problems but skipping the part where he caused them. He gutted the MTA, waged ego wars, covered up the nursing home scandal and left New Yorkers to suffer. Now he’s back to launder his reputation. Don’t be fooled.” Stringer’s successor Brad Lander accused Cuomo of “self-aggrandizement and fear mongering, but not solutions for public safety.” And then there’s state Sen. Jessica Ramos, who questioned whether Cuomo — who has touted his outer borough roots as a “Queens boy” — is really committed to the city, where he reregistered to vote only last year. “Andrew hasn’t lived in NYC for nearly three decades,” she said. “Shouldn’t he be running for office in Westchester, where he lived after resigning in disgrace?” Responded Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi: “New Yorkers smell these garbage attacks a mile away and they know this city is in crisis and it needs to be saved. We’ll see you all out there on the trail.” But the deeply scarred incumbent whom Cuomo wants to replace sidestepped any mention of his new opponent. “There’s a famous quote: Come one, come all,” Mayor Eric Adams said while adding, “You can’t hide in the shadows. You have to come out and follow real positions, so I’m looking forward to it.” — Nick Reisman HAPPY MONDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? Appearing on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” convening a roundtable with federal employees on DOGE-ordered layoffs in Manhattan and appearing on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” WHERE’S ERIC? Holding a media availability in City Hall. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I urge both the U.S. and Ukraine to not allow this setback to let us to lose focus on the fact that Putin is a vicious tyrant and murderer, and the people of Ukraine have suffered tremendously because of his horrific war crimes.” — City Council Member Inna Vernikov, a Republican of Ukrainian descent, posted on X about Trump’s disastrous meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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