A Brief History of the Cuomo–de Blasio FeudThe bad blood between New York City’s mayor and the state’s governor over how to handle the pandemic is the latest chapter in their years-long rivalry.The Nation, Apr 17, 2020
In early April, the Andrew Cuomo–Bill de Blasio feud—which most recently focused on the funding of the subways—reemerged in the news. The long-running cold war, ceaselessly psychoanalyzed by New York political insiders, burst into the open when de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, announced that public schools would remain closed through the school year to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Less than three hours after the April 11 proclamation, Cuomo shot it down, calling it a mere “opinion†and leaving the possibility open that somehow schools would reopen before June. (They probably won’t.)
The latest reporting hinged on the fact that by sending a text message just moments before speaking to reporters, de Blasio didn’t give Cuomo, the governor of New York, enough of a warning before making the announcement. New Yorkers weren’t impressed; can’t these two just get along for a pandemic? “Cut the crap,†tweeted Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president.
For the uninitiated, Cuomo and de Blasio have been at odds since the mayor took office in 2014. Some of the tension derives from the natural friction between the office of the governor and the office of the mayor. While occupants of City Hall have typically enjoyed more prestige—Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani, and Michael Bloomberg were all famous (and notorious) on a national level—much of the political power resides in the governor’s mansion.
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Cuomo and de Blasio have a relationship that dates back decades. When Cuomo was Bill Clinton’s Housing and Urban Development secretary in the 1990s, de Blasio was overseeing HUD’s New York operation, reporting directly to Cuomo. In 2002, de Blasio was one of the few supporters of Cuomo’s first—and terribly failed—campaign for governor. In 2009, Cuomo’s father, the legendary former New York governor Mario Cuomo, backed de Blasio’s campaign for public advocate.
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https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/cuomo-deblasio-covid-feud/
