Cuomo increasingly turns to Senate GOP for staff hires
Some have talked him up as a potential Democratic contender for the
And Cuomo, whose late father,
So, why is the governor, the titular head of the
It's a question many
"Are there not enough
For
"Anytime that you've got some sort of preexisting relationship, where you have some familiarity with someone on the professional level, I think that can be helpful," said Sen.
Gallivan said Cuomo made good hiring decisions by tapping smart and experienced former staffers from the
The
Being willing to cross party lines and hire
Crossing party lines
The Cuomo administration said the hiring decisions come down to finding the most talented people -- staffers who work in an especially demanding gubernatorial administration. In fact, even the harshest critics of his Senate hiring moves acknowledged Cuomo was getting professionally qualified people who know well the workings of
"The governor sets the agenda and then hires the best and the brightest to implement it. Period," said
Team Cuomo has seen a number of
The most recent major hire was
She joins other top former Senate GOP staffers, including
Six months after Mujica joined,
Key aides switch sides
The
A number of these new hires by Cuomo came after the
The hires include
Others who made their way to Cuomo from the
Anger from some
Lawmakers say the hiring has created an interesting situation for top staff negotiators working for the
Lobbying reports show the influence of these staffers. In a recent public filing, one of the lobbying companies for
Privately, many lawmakers expressed considerable anger that Cuomo has turned to former Senate GOP staffers to help him run the government. Some of these are the same Democratic lawmakers who have long been upset with Cuomo that he helped prop up
Cuomo has long praised his ability to work across the aisle and, what's more, he got many centrist bills passed in his first two terms -- such as a property tax cap -- that would have been a far more difficult lift without the
With so many bills left to be acted on, and a new session starting in January in an election year for all state lawmakers next year, a number of legislators said they weren't about to take on Cuomo in public over his hiring decisions.
In fact, the two top
Speaking on condition their names not be used, some
One lawmaker who has not been shy about criticizing the governor on matters is Assemblyman
"The governor's rhetoric comes from the left, but his governing style is right of center. They, like the governor, believe in preserving and accumulating power and not alienating the rich and powerful," added Abinanti, who is exploring a congressional run for the downstate seat being vacated by Rep.
Hiring moves criticized on the left
Left-leaning groups say Cuomo's hiring decisions are being talked about in and outside
Kink said he finds it "outrageous that the self-appointed progressive champion would double down on Republican staffers," some of whom during their Senate service pushed policies sharply opposed by
The Cuomo administration dismissed any such suggestions. "No one can seriously argue that our agenda has gotten less progressive and less ambitious over the years, not even those who live in the darkest, dumbest corners of Twitter," said Azzopardi, the Cuomo senior adviser.
One top lawmaker suggested it's not Cuomo who had to change his views. "I don't know that they can still have the same principles and values that they had previously," Assembly Majority Leader
The lawmaker believes the situation that has Democratic staffers having to negotiate with Cuomo staffers who once were loyal to
Besides, Peoples-Stokes added, lawmakers probably shouldn't really involve themselves in the governor's hiring policies. "I think our (Assembly Democratic) conference wouldn't want the governor telling us who to hire," she said.
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