NEW YORK — If anyone doubted that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is taking direct aim at Mayor Eric Adams, an upcoming radio show appearance might dispel that notion.
Cuomo offered some advice to Adams and his successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, on a radio show set to air Saturday, saying leaders need to “show people progress” — and further fueling speculation that he’s considering a run at mayor, governor, or possibly both.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations that he denies, appeared for the taped interview with Greg Floyd, host of the show “Reaching Out” on 970 AM. Floyd is an influential union leader and serves as president of Teamsters Local 237 and vice president-at large of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
During the tête-à-tête, Floyd asks Cuomo what he would do differently if he were acting as mayor or governor — opening a door the former governor charged through, taking aim at crime, homelessness and illegal weed shops — issues that have become signature points of focus for the Adams administration.
The political buzz has been that Cuomo would only run for mayor if Adams decides not to, but his latest broadside marks the sharpest criticism of the mayor’s track record to date.
“Do something about the homeless who are dangerous and who are on the street,” Cuomo said.
“Close those pot shops tomorrow. Make a real commitment to affordable housing, not a hundred units here, 200 units here — which is all they’re doing — but (say) ‘We’re going to build more affordable housing than any city in the United States,’” he continued.
“You have to make things happen,” he concluded. “Make government work.”
Those words — “make things happen” — echoed a favorite catchphrase of the mayor, Adams’ mantra of “Get stuff done.”
Adams’ spokesman Fabien Levy pushed back, saying “crime is down and jobs are up.”
“We’ve also shut down over 200 illegal cannabis shops and issued over $17 million in penalties as part of ‘Operation Padlock to Protect’ in the last few weeks alone, not only making New Yorkers safer, but helping to make sure New Yorkers feel safer, too,” he said. “Jobs have hit an all-time high in the five boroughs under the Adams administration, and private-sector jobs recently hit another all-time high as well.”
Levy added that the city is “well on the way” to achieving Adams’ goal of building 500,000 new housing units by 2032 after finalizing financing for 14,227 new affordable homes.
Doug Muzzio, a political scientist and author, described the latest Cuomo interview as a further escalation in his possible return to public life, saying it could portend how he might frame a run for office.
“That’s going to be his campaign mantra — I’m going to be the guy who’s going to make things work. Rather than this harem scarem,” he said.
“It is a provocation.”
The taped interview, an advance copy of which was obtained by The New York Daily News, was scheduled to air at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The interview was far from confrontational, with Floyd at times praising Cuomo for his accomplishments while in office.
The Q-and-A comes a week after the Daily News reported that Cuomo has been discussing a potential mayoral run with union leaders and on the heels of him posing questions about the discovery of arsenic in the blood of public housing residents.
Spokespeople from Hochul’s camp did not immediately respond to requests from the Daily News.
Cuomo also contended during his interview with Floyd that state and city government “haven’t been solving” the problems raised in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and that those problems are “really hurting New York right now” and have created a “downward spiral.”
“Remote work is a new reality. I don’t have to go into the city,” Cuomo told Floyd. “I’m going to have to want to go into the city, and that’s a different equation. So now the quality of the city really matters, and if I’m afraid to get on public transportation because it’s not safe, if I think there’s a high rate of crime, if I’m worried about homelessness, if I’m worried about quality of life, if the city doesn’t have the same positive energy, I’m not going to go in, and it’s going to get worse.
“And the fewer people who go into the city, then it’s a downward spiral — and we’re seeing that. And we’re seeing that in cities all across the country.”