28 October 2021: Taxpayers Paying to Remove Cuomo's Name from Public Signs

'We should start preparing': Inside the race to strip Andrew Cuomo's name from NY signs

This is almost the bottom story of the day:

The now-former governor's Aug. 10 announcement that he would step down two weeks later didn't just set into motion a two-week transition that saw Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul rapidly prepare for taking over the state's highest executive office.

It also launched a scramble to secure new signs, stickers and magnets to literally erase the name of New York's 56th governor and replace it with the 57th, marking the first time a woman's name would adorn state property.

Through a Freedom of Information Law request, the USA TODAY Network New York obtained emails, invoices and design documents that shed light on the Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's dash to scrub Cuomo's name from signage in time for Hochul's Aug. 24 inauguration.

To be sure, having the governor's name on signs throughout the state is an abuse of power, constituting free advertising at taxpayer expense. If New York's legislators were smarter and more fiscally responsible, they would bar the names of elected officials from appearing on public signs.

The only reason this story doesn't qualify as the bottom story of the day is because there's a new story involving CNN's ethically-troubled Primetime host, Chris Cuomo. For that story, follow this link.