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Andrew Cuomo Is Your New Governor
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 1, 2011
Modified Jan 1, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 1, 2011
Modified Jan 1, 2011
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At 10:09 p.m. last night, Andrew Cuomo completed his eight year odyssey to become the governor of New York. The Attorney General was sworn in as the Empire State's 56th governor, following in the footsteps of his father Mario Cuomo who governed the state between 1983 and 1994. The younger Cuomo said, "I am honored and humbled to accept this tremendous responsibility. The time has come to return integrity, performance and dignity to New York and make it the Empire State once again. I look forward to getting to work right away for the people of our great state." That's awesome (but we've heard promises before) and welcome to your $9 billion state budget gap, Mr. Governor!
According to the NY Times, the earlier swearing-in at the Governor's Mansion was scheduled to accommodate "younger members" of Cuomo's family. Apparently reporters aren't allowed to cover this event—they didn't with Spitzer or Pataki—but the Times mentions these details:
About 40 members of Mr. Cuomo’s family attended the private swearing-in on Friday night, including his parents, Mario and Matilda; his three daughters, Mariah, Cara and Michaela; his companion, Sandra Lee; his younger brother, Chris, who is a co-anchor of “20/20” on ABC, and his three sisters, including Maria Cuomo Cole and her husband, Kenneth Cole, the shoe designer.
The family had a buffet-style dinner at the mansion from 6 to 8 p.m., with pasta and chicken, a selection of New York wines and several types of dessert. Mr. Cuomo and his lieutenant governor, Robert J. Duffy, were sworn in at 10 p.m. by the state’s chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, who will repeat the oath at the formal inauguration on Saturday.
Mr. Cuomo took the oath shortly after 10 p.m., and his staff provided a video feed of the event. Ms. Lee, a Food Network star, held the Bible on which Mr. Cuomo, who wore a black suit and blue tie, placed his left hand. After reciting his oath, Mr. Cuomo was cheered by his family as he kissed Ms. Lee, who wore a white dress, and his three daughters. His mother grasped Mr. Cuomo’s face and kissed each cheek, and then he embraced his father.
Today, there is a public ceremony and then Cuomo will greet members of the public at the Governor's Mansion. Also, did you realize that people don't really care he's living in sin with Sandra Lee?
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andrew cuomo
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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