A Cuomo Comeback Means Higher Rents, More Corruption…

New Yorkers are tired, and we are fed up with the same familiar cycle. The rent goes up, cost of living increases, and those in power keep handing the keys to the city to real estate tycoons and billionaire donors. Now, Andrew Cuomo wants back in. But let’s be clear: four years of Cuomo means four more years of corruption, rising rents, and a New York City hijacked by Trump and a mayor carrying out his dirty work. New Yorkers who are tired of Eric Adams’ antics should not let our former disgraced governor use the mayor’s office as a way to climb back into power. 

When Cuomo was governor, he perfected the politics of backroom deals and donor loyalty. His biggest ers continue to be the same luxury real estate developers who have made it harder for working-class New Yorkers to stay in their homes. He is taking millions from them?and like before, will give them contracts, tax breaks, zoning giveaways, and a seat at the table while tenants and small homeowners are pushed to the edge.

Cuomo wants to bring that same playbook to City Hall. His campaign is already powered by the same wealthy donors who propped him up before—including major contributors to Donald Trump. And just like Mayor Eric Adams, Cuomo won’t stand up to Trump’s destructive agenda of budget cuts and attacks on immigrants. He’ll enable it.

Let’s not forget: Cuomo has more in common with Eric Adams than he wants you to believe. Cuomo has been under federal investigation for his cover-up of millions of COVID deaths of senior citizens at nursing homes. When Eric Adams appeared on Fox News promising to carry out Trump’s agenda, it raised serious questions about whether Trump’s dismissal of Eric’s DOJ case had compromised the mayor of a city with the largest immigrant population. Dozens of elected officials called for Eric Adams’ resignation, fearing his willingness to sell our communities. Now, if Cuomo returns to power, we face the same dangerous setup?another scandal-plagued politician vulnerable to political pressure from Trump’s allies and donors.

New Yorkers deserve leadership that has the ability and will fight for them—not a compromised agenda beholden to the richest New Yorkers whose profit margins depend on increasing rents and costs for working-class people. We need leaders who will take on real estate greed, not cash its checks. We need a mayor who will stand up to Trump’s agenda, not let it in through the back door. And we need to break the cycle of chaos and corruption that keeps dragging our city down. If Cuomo were serious about protecting this city, he’d be backed by and standing up for tenants, immigrants, and working families. Instead, he’s cozying up to billionaires and Trump donors while pretending to be our savior.

Cuomo isn’t bringing a record of progress or public service to this race—he’s bringing name recognition, wealthy donors, and a reputation for revenge. People who don’t believe in his leadership may still back him out of fear—fear of being punished, sidelined, or shut out if he wins. New York Democratic leaders must show more courage in the face of Cuomo — his record proves he is not in this to help our communities; he’s in it for himself. 

Cuomo says he’s coming back to “fix” New York. But the truth is, he broke it in the first place. He spent years in the governor’s mansion siphoning money away from our schools, our hospitals, our subways, and our libraries. From COVID death toll cover-ups to his rent relief debacles, his record is one of power hoarding and abuse, not progress, and his policies overwhelmingly hurt our communities. We’ve seen this story before, and we know how it ends. This city belongs to the people who built it?immigrants, essential workers, tenants, families struggling to make ends meet. We won’t hand it over again to the same forces and politicians that sold us out. We’ve had enough. No more chaos. No more corruption. No more Cuomo.

This June, New York City must vote for the type of leader we deserve. Ranked choice voting gives us the opportunity to rank up to five candidates for mayor that we think are deserving of that honor. Cuomo won’t be on my list, and I have advice for anyone who cares about the future of our city and our communities: don’t rank Andrew Cuomo for mayor.

Diana Ayala, deputy speaker of the New York City Council