Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cuomo's Top Vaccine Distribution Official Called County Executives To Gauge Their Support For The Embattled Governor
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Mar 14, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
John Lamparski/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Mar 14, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The head of New York state's vaccination rollout—Larry Schwartz—made personal calls to county executives asking about their support for Governor Andrew Cuomo as the state's top Democrats continue to call for his resignation, according to reports from the Washington Post and the New York Times on Sunday.
The phone calls alarmed at least one county executive so much that the official filed a complaint to New York State Attorney General Letitia James's office, according to both reports.
Schwartz insisted to the Post he "did nothing wrong," though did acknowledge he had spoken with various county executives across the state to "ascertain if they were maintaining their public position that there is an ongoing investigation by the State Attorney General and that we should wait for the findings of that investigation before drawing any conclusions."
Schwartz, who called county executives before a March 8th announcement to open 10 new vaccination sites, told the Washington Post in emailed statements that the sites were located "based on merit, data and facts and not politics." He also told the newspaper it was his decision to call the county executives.
"Nobody indicated that they were uncomfortable or that they did not want to talk to me," Schwartz told the Post.
The New York Times reported that one county executive got a call from Schwartz in which he discussed both the governor's scandals and vaccine distribution. A second official told the Times that Schwartz called shortly after a different state official called about the vaccine campaign in that county. The timing of the phone calls led the executive's legal counsel to file an ethics complaint to the attorney general's office.
One Democratic county executive told the Washington Post they filed an ethics complaint to the attorney general's office because they feared the vaccine supplies to their county would be impacted by how the executive responded to Schwartz's questions about the governor.
It was unclear if the newspapers referred to the same complaint or if there was more than one complaint regarding Schwartz's inquiries to county executives. The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Schwartz, who is also an MTA board member, was secretary to the governor from 2011 until 2015, according to the Post. Last December, the governor made Schwartz the head of the state's vaccination plan, after being tasked with assisting the state at the height of the pandemic with balancing hospital capacity and acquiring personal protective equipment.
The third-term governor has been entangled in a web of crises as former aides allege the governor sexually harassed them or treated them inappropriately at work. The attorney general is conducting an investigation into the claims. The governor also faces a federal inquiry into the state's handling of data regarding how many nursing home residents died from COVID-19. State officials altered a report from last summer to downplay the death totals by omitting nursing home residents who died in hospitals.
In response to a request for comment from the governor's office, acting counsel to the governor, Beth Garvey, defended Schwartz.
"Larry answered our call to volunteer in March and has since then worked night and day to help New York through this pandemic, first managing surge capacity, and procuring necessary supplies for the state, setting up the contact tracing efforts, and now assisting with vaccine distribution," Garvey said in a statement on Sunday. "Any suggestion that he acted in any way unethically or in any way other than in the best interest of the New Yorkers that he selflessly served is patently false."
Garvey also said that Schwartz does not fall under the public officer's law or have to take an oath due to an executive order issued by Cuomo last spring. The measure was put in place to "ensure that volunteers would be able to participate in the COVID response as we were being quickly overwhelmed and were attempting to procure supplies and manage hospital capacity," Garvey said. She said any implication or assertion "that this was a failing on the part of Larry Schwartz is simply false."
As the Post noted, the public officer's law includes a provision that prohibits state officials from conduct that could "give reasonable basis for the impression that any person can improperly influence him or her or unduly enjoy his or her favor in the performance of his or her official duties."
Last week during a press briefing, Cuomo blamed "cancel culture" for his political downfall as more elected officials called for him to resign. Currently, both Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have called for him to resign as well as a number of other prominent Democrats in the state.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has also called for Cuomo to resign and told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday morning that Cuomo is "holding up our effort to fight COVID."
"He's literally in the way of us saving lives right now," de Blasio said.
A mayoral spokesperson, Avery Cohen, wrote in a tweet, "Using vaccine distribution as a tool to control local officials is despicable and a clear abuse of public trust" and urged more city control over vaccination efforts, which the mayor has been demanding for weeks.
Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou responded to the latest reports on Twitter, writing, "Our lives are not bargaining chips. Vaccines should not be used as a way to bargain for your seat. We see you."
This article has been updated with additional comments.
Tagged
Governor Andrew Cuomo
Cuomo in Crisis
andrew cuomo
Sydney Pereira
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
How NYC voters could determine outcome of race for governor
The Democratic governor got a startling lesson four years ago in the importance of turnout in New York City.
By
Jon Campbell
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Is the Cheesecake Factory vs. the Amtrak buttercake our new culture war?
Because they're raving about the little cake you can only get in first class on select trains, here are your early links: Hunting for Bigfoot is big in New Jersey, the East Village got a kitschy wedding chapel, "Slime Square-42 St," and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Is the Cheesecake Factory vs. the Amtrak buttercake our new culture war?
Because they're raving about the little cake you can only get in first class on select trains, here are your early links: Hunting for Bigfoot is big in New Jersey, the East Village got a kitschy wedding chapel, "Slime Square-42 St," and more.
By
James Ramsay
Brooklyn woman hit and killed by garbage truck at Bay Parkway, NYPD says
By
Ryan Kost
NY's housing crisis is on the ballot. Here's what the candidates say they'll do about it.
By
David Brand
Brooklyn's Ocean Parkway is a haven for reckless driving. Mamdani isn't allowed to fix it.
By
Stephen Nessen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .