Who loves ya, baby? For Cuomo, de Blasio, the answer to that question is depressing

Who loves ya, baby? For Cuomo, de Blasio, the answer to that question is depressing

Like New York governor, like New York mayor. On Wednesday Governor Andrew Cuomo responded to low public turnout for a talk with Al Gore on climate change by “papering the house” with government employees.” The same day, Mayor Bill de Blasio found himself forced to resort to equally desperate measures for a town hall on rent security and tenant protection.

Via the New York Post:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wasn’t taking any chances that there might be empty seats at a speech he delivered last week on climate change — so state workers were summoned on the taxpayer dime to fill the audience, The Post has learned.

The workers said they left their jobs in the middle of the day Thursday and were paid their full salaries to hear Cuomo at Columbia University announce the state was joining a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“I’d rather be at the park,” said one of the workers, who is employed by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and who has no connection to climate issues.

He explained that he went because his boss “asked me to make some time available in my schedule.”

The worker confessed that he didn’t know what the event was about before he agreed to go.

He said attendance is not required, but is viewed favorably, and that the practice is common throughout state government to support Cuomo.

De Blasio was less concerned the size of his audience than he was their political makeup. To ensure that the applause lines went his way, he hand-picked attendees for his “public” meeting at City Hall.

Via the Daily Caller:

“Mayor de Blasio is using a public school building for a re-election rally disguised as a town hall meeting,” Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, told the New York Post. “The mayor and sponsors handpicked the attendees.”

A close ally of the Democratic mayor, Democratic City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, was in charge of selecting audience members from the audience of about 300 to ask questions.

“It’s a sham audience packed with supporters only, and anyone else who shows up will be placed in another room outside of the main venue and not be allowed to ask questions,” Strasburg added.

Governor Cuomo should reimburse the state out of his well-padded campaign account for this gross misuse of tax dollars and de Blasio should hold a real town hall meeting open to the public, who will tell him that crime is going up, quality of life is going down, and the public education system is an embarrassment.

New Yorkers are suffering under the highest taxes, the most residents fleeing a state, and the worst business climate. Enough with the political theatrics; it’s time to focus on reform and good government.

Cross-posted at the Mental Recession

Rusty Weiss

Rusty Weiss

Rusty Weiss is editor of the Mental Recession, one of the top conservative blogs of 2012. His writings have appeared at the Daily Caller, American Thinker, FoxNews.com, Big Government, the Times Union, and the Troy Record.

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