MID-HUDSON – Two more elected officials, both Democrats, are calling for fellow Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign.
Both State Senator Pete Harckham (D, Mt. Kisco) and Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan said Friday that it is time for Cuomo to step down.
Harckham said the “governance of New York State is suffering from compromised leadership that is under investigation. Instead of focusing on important business, like safeguarding residents from Covid-19 and restoring our economy, our executive is using precious time and state resources to refute serious allegations about misreporting nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic and sexual assault and harassment from numerous women.”
The senator said he “condemn(s) sexual assault and harassment, and I stand with the women making these allegations.”
Harckham said it is time for Cuomo to step aside and allow Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul take over the state’s top job. “This will allow the state government to continue its time-sensitive work on the budget and pending legislation while allowing due process to move forward.”
Meanwhile, Ryan said the governor “has fundamentally broken the public trust -violating and harassing his staff, misleading those he was elected to serve, and repeatedly putting politics ahead of the public good.”
The county executive said Cuomo “should do the right thing and resign, enabling our state to begin to heal and move forward.”
