Throughout the course of fighting this pandemic, the state government has had its ups and downs. The successes belong to the people who acted smart and sensibly, followed health codes and advisements and worked together to push through the worst of it. We’re especially thankful for the frontline healthcare workers and first responders who have saved countless lives since the spring.
Unfortunately, Gov. Cuomo’s unwillingness to give up his emergency powers have made governing the state impossible. The executive branch has superseded the legislative branch completely. It’s an insult to the 19 million New Yorkers who rely on their state legislators to represent their specific interests, needs and values.
After the debacle in our nursing homes in which the state directive to house COVID-positive patients led to thousands of preventable deaths, I would think the governor, like most New Yorkers, would be eager to get a vaccine to our people as soon as possible. Unfortunately, thanks to political fights between our governor and Washington, there is a likelihood that New Yorkers will have to wait for a vaccine longer than the rest of the country, forcing us to continue to fight this virus longer than should be necessary.
Our state government was never organized or designed to accommodate one man’s authority over the rest. The Legislature has just as much of a part to play in fighting this virus as Gov. Cuomo, and despite the holiday season, the Legislature needs to prepare to bring that fight to the governor.We must convene in Albany to relieve him of his unilateral powers.We must cooperate with one another to enact meaningful legislation that will give New Yorkers the support they need as we continue to move past this pandemic and end the politicization of the virus and the vaccine.
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