Cuomo’s criticism of the police department response wasn’t well-received by City Hall. The governor’s comments are “offensive to the men and women of the NYPD who are out there every night trying to keep New Yorkers safe,” said Freddi Goldstein, the mayor’s press secretary. “It would be nice if our officers knew they had the respect of their governor.”
The two men’s personality clash may have cost lives in March, when they bickered over whether to close the schools and shut down the city. They disagreed for days over how and when to act. The city closed the schools, but only after Cuomo issued a March 15 order.
Two days later, de Blasio raised the possibility of a “shelter-in-place” order. Cuomo reacted negatively, saying it was his decision. On March 20, the governor announced his own shutdown. Epidemiologists say delays of just a few days may allow a highly contagious virus to spread exponentially.
Train Pain
As the city moves toward reopening, the subways have become another source of contention. As governor, Cuomo is ultimately responsible for the operations of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. That hasn’t stopped him from accusing the mayor of underfunding the system, to which the city contributes billions in tax revenue and subway and bus fares.
“We’re still not getting the answers we need from the MTA,” de Blasio said last week, as city and state officials worked toward how to prevent the system from becoming a vector of viral infection.
“We have no idea what the mayor is talking about,” countered Sarah Feinberg, interim president of New York City Transit, which operates the subways and buses.
It was an echo of 2015, when Cuomo shut the subway system down during a snow storm -- after giving the mayor just 15 minutes notice.
Spokeswomen for the two top New York officials each deny that the relationship has interfered with governing.
“By and large the mayor and governor have aligned on fighting the virus,” Goldstein said. “They agreed on the curfew, they agree on the need to let NYPD keep order. The rhetoric has not had an impact on the solutions to the challenges.”
Dani Lever, Cuomo’s press secretary, said the relationship hasn’t interfered with their actions to fight the virus or to keep law and order. “This isn’t about personalities,” she said, “it’s about public safety.”
--With assistance from Stacie Sherman.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.