\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Democratic former governor delivered remarks to congregants of Heavenly Vision Church, located on the campus of DeWitt Clinton High School on Sunday morning. According to its website, the Church is a Christian organization \u201cdedicated to transforming lives through the power of the Holy Spirit and sharing the love of Christ Jesus with all.\u201d It is headquartered in Maryland.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
As an interpreter translated his remarks into Spanish, Cuomo reminded attendees, totaling about 150-200 people, including State Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia (A.D. 86) and Cuomo\u2019s daughters, of his record in office. Though he lost<\/a> the Democratic mayoral primary, he first highlighted his connections to top Democrats, citing his role as housing and urban development secretary under former Democratic U.S. President Bill Clinton and his support for former Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI know who I am,\u201d Cuomo said. \u201cMy opponent \u00a0represents the Democratic Socialists. The word \u2018democratic\u2019 shouldn\u2019t be there; it\u2019s confusing,\u201d he said. [Mamdani supporters do not appear confused.] \u201cThey are socialists and socialism has no place in New York City,\u201d Cuomo added.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Amid applause, Cuomo continued, \u201cSocialism hasn\u2019t worked anywhere on the globe, not in Venezuela, not in Cuba. It\u2019s certainly not going to work here in New York.\u201d Cuba is a communist<\/a> country, not a socialist one, and Venezuela, though not communist, has a history of communist political activity<\/a>. More further below.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Without further context, Cuomo moved on, adding, \u201cMy agenda is simple; first, we have to make New York more affordable because it\u2019s just too expensive to live here and too many people are moving out.\u201d The former governor said he was going to raise the minimum wage to $20\/hour, eliminate taxes for anyone making less than $80,000\/year, and bring down the rents by building \u201chundreds of thousands\u201d of new, \u201cneeded\u201d housing units. \u201cIf we have more supply, then you will see the rents come down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As reported<\/a>, several<\/a>\u00a0new<\/a> housing<\/a> developments<\/a>, described as \u201caffordable<\/a>\u201d by NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD), have opened<\/a> in The Bronx<\/a>\u00a0in recent years<\/a>. Yet, with advertised rents of, for example, $3,234<\/a>\u00a0for a one-bedroom unit, or $3,069<\/a> for a studio, compared to average Bronx incomes of, for example, $25,000\/annum<\/a> in City Council District 14, in reality, such new housing is anything but affordable, despite the increase in supply.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, where once, priority was given to local residents of the relevant community board to rent 50 percent of such so-called affordable housing units, even that right has since been reduced to 20 percent following the settlement of a 2024 lawsuit<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Separately, according to New York State\u2019s Empire State Development (ESD) agency, New York State participated<\/a> in the so-called \u201cOpportunity Zone\u201d community development program offered through the Tax Cuts and Job Acts of 2017, passed under the Trump administration during Cuomo\u2019s tenure as governor from 2011 to 2021.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The program encouraged private investment in low-income urban and rural communities in exchange for tax relief. The lobby group, Reinvent Albany, told Norwood News in 2021 that it was supportive of legislation sponsored by Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) to essentially reverse tax breaks won by developers under the Trump 2017 tax laws and the Opportunity Zone program.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n According to the group, many independent fiscal watchdogs said the Opportunity Zone program was a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars, and did nothing for the lower-income communities it was claiming to help. \u201cRather than bringing jobs to disadvantaged New Yorkers, the program instead serves as needless corporate welfare in a state that already gives out billions in tax breaks to real estate,\u201d a Reinvent Albany representative said at the time. According to the group, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, New York State and local governments gave away approximately $10 billion a year in business subsidies, among the most of any state. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cuomo moved on to the topic of crime, saying it was too high and how he would add 5,000 police officers, 1500 in the subways, because \u201csafety is very important.\u201d He also said he would \u201ctell the State\u201d to allow New York City to take over safety, maintenance, and construction in the subway system to clean it up. The MTA is run by the State.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The former governor went on to talk about a TV interview he conducted the previous day during which the interviewer reportedly suggested New Yorkers would like to see a \u201cfresh face, somebody who\u2019s new\u201d as mayor. Amid some laughter and applause, he said, \u201cFirst of all, I think my face is pretty fresh! Second\u2026.new? There is a quality in having experience and wisdom, and ability, and knowing how to do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n While that may be true, part of that job is also working constructively with other key stakeholders in government. It\u2019s been reported<\/a> that there was no love lost between Cuomo and former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, a progressive Democrat, though they obviously had to work together through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The current governor, Kathy Hochul, was Cuomo\u2019s former lieutenant governor, ascending to the top job amid his concurrent fall from grace following his sexual harassment scandal in 2021<\/a>. Were Cuomo to win the mayoral race, Hochul would now outrank him. It\u2019s unknown how that dynamic would impact upon their ability to work together for the betterment of New Yorkers, given Hochul endorsed<\/a> Mamdani for mayor.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Cuomo\u2019s promotion of his experience drew more applause. Decrying Mamdani\u2019s alleged lack thereof, he compared a Mamdani mayoralty to an operation by a first-time surgeon and a flight by a first-time pilot. According to Mamdani\u2019s biography, the assemblyman worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor as well as in film, rap, and writing before entering politics and getting elected as an assemblyman.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the former governor continued, \u201cWe\u2019re talking about mayor of The City of New York! They say this is the second-hardest job in the United States!\u201d As reported<\/a>, former Republican U.S. President Ronald Regan was an actor before he entered politics and is often hailed by Republicans as one of the greatest American presidents.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Given the slim chances of victory for Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, some of Cuomo\u2019s supporters<\/a> include Republicans like City Council Member Inna Vernikov (C.D. 48) of Brooklyn and as of Nov. 3, U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n As reported<\/a>, Mamdani was born in Uganda, moved to the U.S. when he was 7, and became a naturalized citizen in 2018. Another immigrant-turned-politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger, also a Republican, was also an actor before entering politics. He went on to become governor of California, overseeing an economy estimated to be the 4th largest in the world.<\/p>\n Cuomo said Mamdani had been an assemblyman for two terms and only passed three bills. \u201cYudelka Tapia passes three bills in a week and he has the worst attendance record in the entire New York State Assembly,\u201d the former governor said. \u201cHe never even showed up for the job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n According to Mamdani\u2019s website, the assemblyman has \u201cfought for the working class in and outside the legislature: hunger striking alongside taxi drivers to achieve more than $450 million in transformative debt relief, winning over $100 million in the state budget for increased subway service and a successful fare-free bus pilot, and organizing New Yorkers to defeat a proposed dirty power plant.\u201d We reached out to Mamdani\u2019s campaign team for comment on his attendance and will share any feedback we receive.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Cuomo went on to say that to make change, you need to know how government works, implying Mamdani did not. \u201cWe will have to fight this President Trump and he is tough and we can\u2019t send in an amateur to fight him,\u201d Cuomo said. It has been speculated that Trump allegedly persuaded Adams to drop out of the race to boost Cuomo\u2019s chances of winning prior to the president\u2019s formal endorsement<\/a> of Cuomo on Nov. 3, and that Trump also allegedly pressured Sliwa to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Norwood News contacted Sliwa\u2019s campaign for comment and will share any feedback we receive. Adams didn\u2019t mention the president as a reason for pulling out of his mayoral reelection campaign when he ended it last month and addressed his supporters<\/a>. The mayor has also denied<\/a> being offered a future position with the Trump administration in exchange for dropping out of the race.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Cuomo said as NYC mayor, on any given day anything can happen, be it a hurricane, a building collapse or a mass shooting. \u201cYou could, God forbid, have another terrorist attack,\u201d he said. \u2018You have to have someone who knows what they are doing.\u201d As reported<\/a>, Cuomo previously laughed during a recent interview when it was suggested by the host that the assemblyman would cheer on another 9\/11.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Getting down to the business end of the campaign, Cuomo explained which platform on the ballot he was running on, the \u201cFight and Deliver\u201d campaign. \u201cI will fight for you and deliver for you because that\u2019s exactly what I have done,\u201d he said, adding that he\u00a0passed the State budget, which is twice the size of New York City\u2019s, \u201cevery year on time for 11 years.\u201d He also highlighted passing the highest minimum wage and generating the highest rate of minority and women-owned business enterprises in the country.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ignoring the interpreter at a certain point, he continued, \u201cWe built a new Sheridan Expressway, a new Hunts Point Expressway, a new LaGuardia Airport, a new Kennedy Airport, a new Second Avenue subway, a new Moynihan Train Hall, a new [Thaddeus] Kosciuszko Bridge [in Albany], a new Shirley Chisholm Park.\u201d<\/p>\n He concluded, \u201cWe built more than anyone has ever built. We can build a New York City better and brighter than ever before, and we\u2019re going to build a New York that never existed. We\u2019re going to put a shine back on the Big Apple and it\u2019s going to be the best city in the United States of America, the best city on the globe. That\u2019s who we are, that\u2019s who we\u2019re committed to, and that\u2019s why I need your vote, and that\u2019s why I\u2019ll be your mayor!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Amid the former governor\u2019s achievements,<\/a> as reported, he has also been criticized in part for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as regards deaths in nursing homes, and for \u201cprofiting<\/a>\u201d from the tragedy by writing a book. He has simultaneously been praised by others for the clarity of his daily COVID-19 press briefings<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The former governor has also been criticized, as reported<\/a>, for allegations of sexual harassment<\/a>, some of which never proceeded to trial but which were subject to an investigation by the attorney general\u2019s office. He resigned<\/a> amid the scandal and apologized for his physical interactions with women which he later put down to cultural proclivities. Federal authorities have since settled a case<\/a> with the New York State governor\u2019s office in relation to the allegations after the U.S. Department of Justice found<\/a> he had sexually harassed 13 women. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Switching to Spanish, amid applause, Cuomo concluded, \u201cTogether, we\u2019re more, we\u2019re brothers and sisters, we\u2019re one! we\u2019re one! we\u2019re one! we\u2019re one! we\u2019re one!\u201d After receiving a blessing from the pastor while the congregation watched with outstretched arms, he took some questions from the press.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n During the briefing, he said there was no disagreement on what the problems were in the city but a difference in terms of how they should be addressed saying Mamdani\u2019s policies were unworkable.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n On the matter of free buses, Luxembourg, the world\u2019s second richest country per capita as of 2025, according to global finance<\/a>, became the first country to introduce free public transportation in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It is also the second-largest investment fund center globally after the United States, with assets under management of approximately \u20ac5.582 trillion. France began testing<\/a> the impact of free transportation on its economy the following year and other countries have followed suit.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As an aside, workers in Luxembourg, the most culturally and linguistically diverse country in Europe, also benefit from an average of seven weeks paid vacation, separate from maternity \/ parental leave, among a range of other health, educational and other benefits. As of 2023, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, the country ranked 180th out of 193 countries globally for crime.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Norwood News asked the governor what he would say to voters who allege he\u2019s conflating communism with socialism. As reported,<\/a> the Merriam Webster definition of\u00a0democratic socialism is a political movement calling for the establishment of a decentralized, socialist economic system within a democratically run political system.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Merriam Webster definition of communism is a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed, or a theory advocating the elimination of private property. As above, Cuomo referred to Cuba specifically when he said socialism hadn\u2019t worked anywhere.<\/p>\n According to The Atlantic<\/a>, \u201csocialists nowadays are chiefly interested in social welfare [e.g. programs that advance education, healthcare, maternity leave, sick pay etc.] and a degree of economic planning.\u201d The governor responded, \u201cI\u2019m not [conflating the two concepts]. He\u2019s\u2026.. I say socialism. Donald Trump calls it communism.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Norwood News referenced Cuomo\u2019s earlier prepared remarks, and while he didn\u2019t mention communism specifically, he referred to Cuba, a communist country. \u201cI said socialism,\u201d he said. Trump calls him a communist [\u2026inaudible].\u201d Cuomo then talked about a Democratic Socialists of America article that refers to \u201ccontrolling the means of production.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat is very close to what Karl Marx said,\u201d he said. \u201cYou may want to google it but I call it what it is. He [Mamdani] says he\u2019s a socialist.\u201d Norwood News put it to the governor that most western democracies have some form of socialism [in the form of social protections] intertwined in their governing model and that it appeared that it was something similar that Mamdani\u2019s campaign appeared to be proposing [not communism, as in the case of Cuba].<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n They\u2019re looking for something.. socialism, yeah,\u201d he said. \u201cI know what they\u2019re asking for, and New Yorkers know what they\u2019re asking for. They want to have socialism and I don\u2019t think New Yorkers want to have socialism. You can be a socialist. God Bless you. The question is do New Yorkers want to be socialists.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As reported<\/a>, New York City Council recently voted to approve the latest redevelopment deal for the long-vacant, City-owned Kingsbridge Armory.\u00a0 City officials said the deal will deliver $375 million in investments for the West Bronx from the City, State, and federal governments, including among other wins, a $130 million community benefits agreement rooted in community ownership. Sounds kind of \u201csocialisty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In March 2023, as part of the redevelopment of the historic Bedford Union Armory, two residential buildings were built from the ground up to deliver 415 homes, 250 of which are affordable. The armory itself was converted into the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center, the City\u2019s first and largest comprehensive center with medical, emotional, and recreational practices at affordable rates for the Brooklyn community. Also sounds kind of \u201csocialisty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Indeed, according to an extract from a 2017 academic paper<\/a> by Peter L. Schneller entitled \u201cCapitalism and Public Education in the United States,\u201d published on the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s website, \u201cThe United States democratic system includes characteristics of capitalism as well as socialism. Perhaps the most socialistic endeavor of the US is its K-12 public school system.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The governor was also asked what he made of Obama\u2019s call to Mamdani on Nov. 1. \u201cNothing. I\u2019m sure he phones a lot of people,\u201d he said in part, adding that, to his knowledge, Obama had not endorsed Mamdani. He put this down to Mamdani\u2019s previous comments about Obama when he said Mamdani called Obama \u201cevil\u201d and \u201ca liar.\u201d Mamdani walked back those comments during a recent debate classifying them retrospectively as the \u201cstupid tweet of a college student.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if he was confident he could still win, given Sliwa said he was not dropping out, Cuomo said in part that people were focused and understood the issues, and were coming out, adding, \u201cYes, the most recent poll says 6 points with Sliwa in which means Mamdani\u2019s vote is collapsing and mine is increasing. We\u2019re going to win.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The mayoral and other general elections in New York City take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit \u00a0https:\/\/www.nycvotes.org\/how-to-vote\/elections-calendar\/#voter+registration+deadline<\/a>. Don\u2019t forget to flip your ballot to vote on other ballot proposals. Read more here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By S\u00cdLE MOLONEY Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an independent mayoral candidate in the upcoming general…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27940,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-27939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cuomo-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>FORMER NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an independent mayoral candidate in the upcoming general election, takes questions from the media after delivering remarks\u00a0at Heavenly Vision Church, located on the campus of DeWitt Clinton High School in Bedford Park, The Bronx, on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, two days before Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025.\u00a0\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/daughters-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>ASSEMBLYWOMAN YUDELKA Tapia (A.D. 83) raises her finger in support of remarks delivered by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, independent mayoral candidate in the upcoming general election during a campaign stop at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, as Cuomo\u2019s two daughters seated nearby, also applaud.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_4212-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>FORMER NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an independent mayoral candidate in the upcoming general election, delivers remarks at Heavenly Vision Church, located on the campus of DeWitt Clinton High School in Bedford Park, The Bronx, on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, two days before Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/crowd-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>CONGREGANTS OF HEAVENLY Vision Church, located on the campus of DeWitt Clinton High School in Bedford Park, The Bronx, listen to remarks by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an independent mayoral candidate in the upcoming general election, during a campaign stop on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, two days before Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_0483.jpg\")
<\/a>A MEMBER OF Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition holds up a reads, \u201cWhose armory? Our armory\u201d during a press conference held at the vacant Kingsbridge Armory in the Kingsbridge Heights section of The Bronx on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, during which joint City and State funding of $200 million to boost the redevelopment of the armory was announced.
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n