2 January 2022: Editorial - Just Say No to More Cuomo

EDITORIAL: A Cuomo comeback? No thank you.

The editors of Schenectady's Daily Gazette consider the possibility of a political comeback for Andrew M. Cuomo and just say no.

With each day that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo avoids another prosecution for sexual harassment allegations comes speculation that he could grace us all by mounting a political comeback.

Frankly, New York would be much better off if he didn’t....

If the former gets off on all criminal charges, it could lend more credence to his claims that he was railroaded by a politically motivated state attorney general and forced to resign by opportunistic Democrats who just wanted him out of the way....

So does Cuomo have an opening? He might.

But that doesn’t mean he should be governor again, or hold any other public position.

The sexual harassment allegations might have been what forced him to resign, but a review of his decade in office reveals a pattern of corruption among those close to him, unethical conduct and favoritism.

Some of his close allies faced criminal charges for their roles in various scandals, including close friend Joseph Percoco for accepting bribes and SUNY Polytechnic Institute founder Alain Kaloyeros for bid-rigging related to the “Buffalo Billion” project.

Cuomo also was accused of using his authority to quell investigations into his allies.

In addition, Cuomo might still not be clear of criminal exposure for his handling of the nursing home data and the use of government staff for the book deal....

The former governor is resilient, persistent, vengeful, politically savvy and he could take advantage of a divided Democratic field, the COVID situation and a forgiving public to maneuver his way back to Albany. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

But even if he wants to return, New Yorkers have plenty of reasons not to want him back.

But what do New York's Democratic party bosses want? Isn't that really what determines what New Yorkers get?