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Cuomo defends his NYC roots amid questions about residency
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
Published Mar 6, 2025
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Elizabeth Kim/Gothamist
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
Published Mar 6, 2025
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Mayoral contender and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo fended off questions about his residency and ties to New York City, saying he has lived full time at his Manhattan apartment since the fall and is a “New Yorker 100% through and through.”
The celebrity governor made the remarks on Thursday after Gothamist reported that some of his ostensible neighbors had not seen much of him. His remarks followed an event at the Teamsters' office in Lower Manhattan, where he accepted the labor group’s endorsement along with that of former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. It was the first time Cuomo took questions from the city’s press corps since launching his mayoral campaign last weekend.
Diaz’s decision to back Cuomo is a blow to Mayor Eric Adams, as Diaz previously served as a 2021 campaign surrogate for Adams with Bronx and Latino voters.
“I have been a lifelong New Yorker,” Cuomo, a Queens native, told reporters. “When you're governor, you're still a New Yorker.”
Gothamist interviewed 16 residents of the Oriana, a luxury apartment building in Sutton Place where Cuomo has resided since September. Only a handful said they had seen the former governor, who had previously been registered to vote in Westchester County.
That registration changed to New York City in September, according to voter records.
Cuomo has racked up endorsements from labor groups as well as several elected officials just days into his candidacy. But his popularity with voters will be tested in the coming weeks. He was forced to resign in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations as well as accusations that his administration covered up nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo has denied these allegations.
Some opponents have seized on the residency issue, portraying Cuomo as out of touch with New Yorkers' needs and day-to-day experiences.
"He doesn't understand us,” said former City Comptroller Scott Stringer. “He doesn't think about us in the way people who live here every day do.”
In a stance that may leave him open to further attacks, Cuomo also said he was opposed to starting congestion pricing now, despite proposing the idea in 2019. Cuomo, who as governor controlled the MTA, oversaw 2017's “Summer of Hell,” when service disruptions and derailments were frequent occurrences.
He says the city’s recovery has been too fragile to begin tolling drivers coming into Manhattan's busiest commercial district.
“If people say, ‘Well, I'm just not driving in, and then I'm going to stay home, I'm going to work remotely, that would be a negative,” he said.
But transit experts have repeatedly pointed out that the majority of city residents commute to work via public transit.
Danny Pearlstein, policy director for the transit advocacy group Riders Alliance, called Cuomo’s comments “rider erasure.”
“Six million people board MTA services everyday and overwhelmingly arrive at their destinations without incident,” he said. “And it’s what the city depends on.”
But favoring a delay could appeal to some outer borough car owners who have opposed the toll. Gov. Kathy Hochul is currently locked in a legal fight with the Trump administration, which has ordered state officials to stop the program.
Cuomo acknowledged that preliminary data showed that traffic congestion is down, allowing for some faster commutes.
“It wouldn't be good if the traffic is down, but fewer people are coming into the city,” he argued, though there’s little to no evidence that’s the case.
The former governor has done limited interviews since announcing his run and has avoided scrutiny of his record.
On Thursday, Cuomo avoided addressing his past controversies.
When asked to identify some of the mistakes he has acknowledged making, he cited his failure to add sufficient MTA police and failing to stockpile enough equipment that would prove to be necessary during the pandemic.
He then added, “Sometimes I took everything too seriously.”
Tagged
new york city
Politics
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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