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TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s re-emergence on the political scene is stoking a brand new and stronger effort to take his household’s title off the previous Tappan Zee Bridge.
As CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reported Wednesday, though the bridge is named for Mario Cuomo, lawmakers really feel that the way in which Andrew Cuomo bullied them to do his bidding provides to the necessity to undo what was all the time a controversial transfer.
Ever since he has emerged from his cocoon of disgrace, Andrew Cuomo has tried to persuade people who he was accomplished in by the so known as “cancel culture.” And whereas that may work with some audiences, the lawmakers who have been on the receiving finish of his strong-arm techniques recall all to effectively how the Machiavellian strategist actually received his dad’s title on the bridge.
It wasn’t fairly.
“The ex-governor managed to sneak in the changing of the name of the bridge at 2 o’clock in the morning as a ransom for the final piece of budget legislation,” Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti mentioned.
Abinanti has one among two payments in Albany to alter the title of the $4 billion twin bridges that join Rockland and Westchester counties. He’s truly searching for a compromise, however he mentioned more and more lawmakers are zeroing in on the need to change the name because of the scandals, Andrew Cuomo’s current re-entry on the political scene, and due to the way in which he rammed the title down their throats.
“So is that 2 o’clock ransom attempt by Andrew Cuomo still sticking in the craw of people who remember it?” Kramer requested.
“Oh I believe it is. Yes, that is the best example of Andrew Cuomo’s bullying,” Abinanti mentioned.
The Abinanti invoice would change the title of the bridge to the Mario Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge. He says it is a compromise.
Another invoice by Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler that’s selecting up some bipartisan help would “cancel” Cuomo and name it the Tappan Zee.
“Frankly, the time for compromise on this has passed, with respect to adding the Tappan Zee name back,” Lawler mentioned. “The governor didn’t want that at the time. He wanted the Cuomo family name. He, through his own actions — not mine, not anybody else’s, through his own actions — has disgraced that name and it needs to come off the bridge,” Lawler mentioned.
Former Westchester County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino mentioned that if he wins he’ll make sure that the title is modified.
“No Cuomo on that bridge. I will, myself, unscrew the C-U-O-M-O the first day and drop those letters into the Hudson River and it will go back to the Tappan Zee Bridge,” Astorino mentioned.
Team Cuomo was not amused.
“With all the critically important issues facing New Yorkers, it’s craven stunts like this that separate the headline-chasing politicians from the public servants who are actually focused on making a difference,” mentioned Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi.
And almost 4 years after Andrew Cuomo formally christened the bridge by driving throughout the span along with his mom, Matilda, in FDR’s 1932 Packard, there’s nonetheless intense anger. Because of the previous governor’s scandals, many do not wish to see his title on the bridge in any respect.
“I would like his name removed, absolutely,” mentioned Kelli Johnn of Irvington.
“I’m comfortable with keeping the name on the bridge. Mario Cuomo was a good governor and I see no reason to retract it just because of certain indignities of his son,” mentioned Cristopher Carthy of Armonk.
“Every time I pass and get on and see the name, it bothers me,” one other individual mentioned.
“Bring it back to Tappan Zee. Personally, I think it’s ultimately the arrogance of the Cuomo family that changed it,” mentioned Stephen Feleciano of Newburgh.
Lawmakers that Kramer spoke to mentioned they aren’t towards naming one thing for Mario Cuomo — one thing in Queens, the place he was born and raised. But they won’t change the title on a number of the tasks Andrew Cuomo launched into, like fixing John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
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