Cuomo says goodbye
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Former Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his farewell address on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Screenshot via Governor Cuomo/Twitter
By Jacob Kaye
Almost two weeks after he announced his impending resignation as governor of New York State, Queens-born Andrew Cuomo gave New Yorkers his final farewell on Monday, Aug. 23.
The speech came about 12 hours before Governor Kathy Hochul took the oath of office around midnight Tuesday morning.
In the 15-minute goodbye, the now-former governor touted his administration’s accomplishments, derided the attorney general’s report that proved to be his downfall, railed against the progressive movement he spent years fighting against and took a moment to get in one final dig at Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Queens, Cuomo’s hometown, was not mentioned.
Cuomo, who has denied the allegations from the 11 women who said he sexually harassed them as outlined in Attorney General Letitia James’ report, began his farewell by suggesting that the truth about his alleged behavior will one day come out. It’s a claim he’s made since James’ report was made public three weeks ago.
“A firecracker can start a stampede but at one point everyone looks around and says, why are we running? The truth is ultimately always revealed,” Cuomo said. “The attorney general's report was designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic. And it worked. There was a political and media stampede. But the truth will come out in time, of that I am confident.”
Cuomo spoke about his administration’s action on supporting green energy and building infrastructure, including LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport.
“These projects are underway and essential to complete quickly and effectively because they are literally building our future,” he said. “We cannot go back to the old days when government talked, and government debated, and government issued a lot of press releases about what they were doing, but they never made a difference in people's lives, and they never improved, and they never built.”
The Archbishop Molloy High School graduate told New Yorkers that he was proud of the “progressive measures,” that he helped pass but said that he disagreed “with some people in my own party who called to defund the police.”
“I believe it is misguided. I believe it is dangerous,” he said. “Reforming police must be the goal. Ending discrimination by the police, ending the unnecessary use of force, and then building back trust and respect between the police and the community they serve. That's the real answer and that is easier said than done, but it's also the truth and the right way forward.”
Cuomo also mentioned New York should support business and business owners, which possibly was a call back to the fight over taxing New York’s wealthiest residents, which was supported by several progressive law makers and opposed by Cuomo.
“Demonizing business is against our collective self-interest,” Cuomo said. “Taking actions that cause businesses to flee the state, taking jobs with them, only weakens our tax base and our ability to do good things for people.”
As he wrapped up his speech, Cuomo wished Hochul success and said that Eric Adams, who he called “the next mayor of New York City,” will bring a “new philosophy and competence to the position.” As has been the case with many New York governors and New York City mayors before them, Cuomo and de Blasio often clashed.
In the final moments of the former governor’s speech, he said that the most important lesson he learned in the executive’s office was that New Yorkers were smart and good.
“I believed and still believe that New Yorkers when informed with the facts, when they believe the facts, when they believe they're told the truth, they will do the right thing,” Cuomo said. “Even when it's hard.”
