Republican Marc Molinaro continues his tour across New York calling out Governor Cuomo for ongoing corruption and its impact on state business and eroding public trust. Molinaro’s visit to Syracuse Thursday came on the same day Cuomo Administration official Joe Percoco was sentenced to six years for accepting bribes from leaders of state contractors.
Molinaro says it’s just one example of the Governor misleading taxpayers and trying to avoid scrutiny.
"This isn't the way it's supposed to be. Teddy Roosevelt said no man is above the law. Yet the entities that were created to hold elected officials accountable have been silenced. The independent Ethics Commission is not independent; it's beholden to this governor. Inspector generals have been pressured not to take action. And the attorney general has turned a blind eye."
He also points to other political maneuvers he says show Cuomo as unethical when it serves political purposes: A mailer falsely slandering Cuomo primary opponent Cynthia Nixon as anti-semitic; and rushing the opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge risking safety to help his election. John DeFrancisco appeared with Molinaro, despite losing the nomination to him. DeFrancisco is ready for a change at the top.
"The fact of the matter is we need new leadership, and I belive Marc Molinaro will bring us in a different direction of honesty and integrity. He'll also change the philosophy of government, rather than a philosophy that makes certain that everyone can help him get something."
Is the ethics issue enough to sway enough voters to topple Cuomo? Molinaro knows many are focused on other issues, but he argues corruption has made it more difficult to solve problems.
"It is exactly why this state government, this administration, have created the highest taxed state in America, why infrastructure continues to erode. This governor has been allowed to use the levers of power, the office of governor, to make political decisions that have compromised the safety, security, and benfit of taxpayers."
Molinaro says he’d also like to expand access for medical marijuana … but has a wait-and-see attitude about legalizing recreational use, given problems in other states. He also favors a plan for Interstate 81 that would include a community grid with a short tunnel, which he says would serve everyone’s interests.
