13 April 2021: Staffers Quitting Cuomo World

Cuomo staffers leaving the Executive Chamber

This report lists the names of Cuomo administration staffers who have left their jobs working for Governor Cuomo since the administration acknowledged it covered up the full extent of COVID nursing home deaths on 11 February 2021. The names include: Laura Edidin, Jack Sterne, Christopher O'Brien, Caitlin Girouard, Erin Hammond, Will Burns, Kumiki Gibson, and Gareth Rhodes. The excerpt cites the most significant departure to date:

An April 5 email, provided by a gubernatorial staffer, shows that Laura Edidin, formerly chief special counsel for ethics, risk and compliance, left the administration and was replaced by Victoria Lane, formerly a partner at the law firm Hinckley Allen. Edidin did not respond to a request for comment, and Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi declined to say why she left as the governor fights allegations that he had misused state resources to his own personal benefit. "I don't participate in palace intrigue,” Azzopardi said in an email. “That’s my statement.”

Edidin is part of a growing list of gubernatorial staffers who have left the administration since bombshell revelations of Cuomo’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes and alleged sexual misconduct surfacted in February. Some have said it is just a coincidence that they left the governor’s office while he continues fighting for his political life. Others have leaned on time-worn explanations like the need to spend more time with their loved ones. The rest just said nothing at all publicly.

In addition to filling vacant positions from staffers seeking to leave his administration, Governor Cuomo is also seeking better PR people and more legal help.