A recent poll shows Andrew Cuomo beating Eric Adams easily in a primary for New York City mayor.
Please, New York: Just say no!
Some New Yorkers clearly have short memories.
They want to forget about the numerous allegations against the ex-gov of sexual misconduct and abuse.
And the fact that COVID claimed the lives of 16,000 people who fought for and built this country, many because of Cuomo’s deadly March 25 directive ordering nursing homes to take in COVID-positive patients.
That includes my step-grandmother, Josephine Rachiele — Long Island’s own Rosie the Riveter during World War II — and her sister, Theresa.
The pair were known as the island’s Homefront Sisters.
Yet let me remind everyone of the many other reasons Andrew Cuomo is not the hero some may think he is, but rather a major reason our great city is in such peril.
Ever hear of something called “hero syndrome” — when people seek recognition for responding to harmful situations they themselves have intentionally created (eg., when a firefighter is first on the scene and extinguishes a fire that he himself purposely set)?
Cuomo fits the bill.
Turns out he’s the actual creator of numerous crises for which he pretends he can be the savior.
Name an issue he now loves to talk about (in one-sided diatribes), and I’ll explain how he started the fire he now claims to be the only hero capable of putting out.
At the top of the list: illegal migrants.
They’re wreaking all sorts of havoc on the city (particularly regarding its budget).
Cuomo freely discusses the issue in his podcast and friendly interviews, as he attempts to make a political comeback.
Yet guess who made New York a sanctuary state? You got it: Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
He worked overtime to aid and defend illegal immigrants and to prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting even those who’ve committed heinous crimes, barring law-enforcement from inquiring about immigration status and limiting information given to the feds.
“I want to do nothing to cooperate with ICE,” Cuomo said back then.
The ex-gov also OK’d “green light” laws granting illegal migrants access to driver’s licenses, which can be used (illegally) to register to vote.
Another super-big issue: crime.
Guess who blessed a raft of criminal-justice bills, such as Raise the Age, while refusing to sign a budget without bail reform? Right: Cuomo.
It’s no coincidence that crime rates soared after those “fixes.”
At the same time, Cuomo picked members for the Parole Board who clearly had no qualms about freeing cop-killers and violent recidivists on what feels like a daily basis.
That has also fueled crime, while compounding the pain of victims and their families.
How about homelessness?
A big part of the problem is the lack of beds to treat the mentally ill, forcing many to take to the streets, even though they may be a risk to themselves and others.
Why the shortage?
Because in 2014, Andrew Cuomo starting closing down nine psychiatric centers that treated the acutely mentally ill and shifted them to “community-based service programs.”
We now see countless “nonprofit” groups exploiting these programs to rip off taxpayers and the people they’re supposed to be serving.
This is just a small taste of the damage he’s caused.
In 2019, I warned then-Gov. Cuomo that if he moved forward with his social-justice reforms our streets would not be safe, police officers would not be able to do their jobs and New Yorkers would seek vigilante justice when our system started failing hard-working, law-abiding people.
And here we are: Bodega workers have to arm themselves just to make it home to their families while working minimum-wage jobs.
Daniel Penny is fighting for his life after doing what he thought was right to protect people on the subway.
Oh, and for all of you “Cuomosexuals” who think I oppose the ex-gov because I’ve personally suffered — you’re right.
But not only because his actions during COVID led to the deaths of national treasures like my step-grandmother and her sister.
Or because he destroyed my own life as a single mother in the hospitality industry with his needlessly extended COVID shutdowns.
But because of all of the ways he’s single-handedly harmed the state and city I love.
So, no thank you, Andrew.
Go play hero somewhere else.
Jennifer Harrison is the executive director of The Victims Rights Reform Council and the Founder of Victims Rights NY.
