"Revisionist history" on recent memories

A very Citi Field and adjacent areas-heavy newsletter #118

Photo by me back in 2021

Last week, POLITICO wrote about then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo holding up a plan to put a vaccine cite at Citi Field for no real reason other than he disliked then-Mayor Bill de Blasio.

From the story:

In early 2021, pandemic-battered New Yorkers were finally feeling a glimmer of hope: A mass vaccine site at Citi Field that promised around-the-clock shots.

Then Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped in.

The state’s chief executive was irate over the site, which happened to be championed by his political nemesis at the time — Mayor Bill de Blasio. Cuomo made his displeasure clear in a phone call to the Mets owner — and one of the country’s richest men — Steve Cohen. The governor later withheld vaccines from the facility for several weeks. This account, which has never been reported, was relayed by nine people with direct knowledge of it.

As governor, Cuomo loved needling de Blasio — about deer sterilization, about state troopers. To call it a feud would imply it was equal; it wasn’t.

The Albany vs New York City quarreling seemed mostly like palace intrigue until March 2020, when COVID came to the city. The stakes became too high then.

I was at The Wall Street Journal at the time and months into the pandemic worked on a story with colleagues about New York’s response. The detail I think about a lot is Cuomo holding up state authorization for patient transfers between hospital systems. We never got a sensible answer as to why. As a person who had early COVID and who lives a mile from Elmhurst Hospital, I thought of my neighbors dying in waiting rooms and hallways who maybe could have had a chance somewhere else. It’s all speculation and impossible to prove, but as a reporter and a person, I wished there was more coordination. There simply wasn’t.

A spokesperson for Cuomo called POLITICO’s story “nothing more than silly, revisionist history from a bunch of de Blasio ex-pats obsessed with distracting from the fact that he was a terrible mayor.” Two things can be true at once. You could think de Blasio did a lousy job but also believe the governor didn’t do enough to help New Yorkers, choosing instead to taunt the mayor. We all experienced COVID in New York City, and reporting like this isn’t revisionist history at all. It’s important reminders as Cuomo tries to lead the city he spent so many years fucking with.

Read more here.

Other interesting stories

Speaking of Citi Field, Sen. John Liu today will announce he’s supporting parkland alienation to help Steve Cohen build a casino.

Here’s what he had to say about casinos last year: If new casinos do come to our communities, one thing is abundantly clear: the big casino companies who will be profiting off the backs of Asian-American communities, along with the government entities responsible for oversight, addiction outreach and treatment, must up their ante to meet the needs of this historically underfunded and victimized community.

There was also lots of drama inside City Hall on Friday as a deputy mayor attempted to fire senior staff who work for other deputy mayors. This all comes as morale inside the building is incredibly low, many staffers told me.

Mayor Adams says he’s challenging the CFB’s denial of his match funds, but his team so far hasn’t done much [THE CITY]
Where are the most — and least — reliable voters? [THE CITY]
Your guide to composting in the city [THE CITY]
Audit finds security guards were mostly AWOL at NYCHA [THE CITY]

The INNER CIRCLE show is Friday and Saturday. Want to see the Friday show, with $30 tickets? Online ticket sales are closed but email me and I’ll help connect you. I’ll be playing two Manhattan icons this year, try to guess who or what …

Oh, here’s a clip from the 2000 show. What a long, strange 25 years it’s been since …

Thanks for reading!