Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Last Minute Power Grab

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz

District 32 Bronx County, New York

You should know that in the eleventh hour, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has slipped language into the Budget that would allow him to take over the homeless shelters in the City of New York.

As you all know, Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared war on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and he is doing everything possible to embarrass the Mayor without regard or respect for the hard work and sacrifices of New York City’s Community-Based Organizations that run shelters.

In the middle of this fight are the poor, the needy and the suffering New York City residents.

Instead of joining forces with the Mayor of the City of New York and the Community-Based Organizations, the Governor wants to remove Community-Based Organizations and replace them with anyone he chooses to be in charge.  

Governor Andrew Cuomo should strive to solve housing problems by forcing the landlords who own the actual property where the homeless shelters exist to remedy the violations in those buildings. The building violations are caused by the landlords’ neglect – not the Community-Based Organizations!  

Instead of Governor Andrew Cuomo working to punish the landlords who own and neglect the buildings where the shelters are located, surprise, surprise: he is planning to punish the Community-based Organizations for building code violations that are completely out of their hands.

It is absolutely ridiculous for the Governor and for the State of New York to take over shelter programs in the City of New York and, yet still force the Mayor and the City of New York to fund shelters with the City’s resources they are not even in control of.

My dear reader, it’s A-OK for the Governor to take over State programs and put in charge whomever he pleases, but NOT for him to come to the City of New York and tell the Mayor and the City Council and Community-based Organizations that he’s taking over the shelter system – expecting to use the City’s resources.

It’s only in Cuba where you see these kinds of political maneuvers!

I have to implore my colleagues in the State Legislature – especially Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein, Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins to NOT allow for this outrageous manipulation of resources to pass in New York State’s Budget and force the City of New York to pay for programs controlled by the State of New York.

If our leaders allow for this kind of power shift to take place, and use the excuse that it will help the homeless, they are fooling no one. This language that has been slipped into the Budget at the last minute will hurt the Community-Based Organizations that serve the homeless and the City of New York, and we must not allow that to happen.

I am Senator Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.