13 September 2021: Editorial - Cuomo Appointees Should Voluntarily Clear Out

Cuomo appointees should follow class act Pat Foye — and clear out for Hochul picks

The editors of the New York Post are calling for Andrew M. Cuomo's appointees to resign from the positions to which they were appointed. Interesting, they cite the resignation of an individual who they describe as a "consummate professional public servant" as a model for Cuomo's loyalist dead-enders to follow:

Former MTA honcho Pat Foye — unlike a few other Cuomo administration holdovers — has again proved himself the consummate professional public servant by informing Gov. Kathy Hochul that he won’t take over as interim president and CEO of Empire State Development Corp. so she can make her own pick....

Some Cuomo hacks, like MTA board member Larry Schwartz, vowed not to resign. But he, SUNY Chancellor James Malatras and other Cuomo cronies (especially those who abetted his various coverups) should follow Foye’s lead and tender their resignations.

Meanwhile, Hochul would be wise to talk Foye into taking on some major role: His integrity and commitment to duty make him a role model for public service.

The problem with the editors' suggestion is that those who were so ethically "challenged" that they participated in the Cuomo administration's cover-ups are unlikely to follow any model example of integrity for public servants. We think it will take far more effort in the form of firings and, for all too many, criminal investigations to push them out of power.