Does Governor Cuomo Hold The Key To Fighting Homelessness, Violent Crime In The City?
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- When it comes to guns on the street, homelessness, and other city problems it could be Governor Andrew Cuomo to the rescue.
"Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound," the lines from an old Superman movie could take on new meaning for Governor Andrew Cuomo who, according to published reports, wants to help save New York City.
"We had a terrible violence problem, we restored order, and now you're seeing police officers assaulted. I believe we've had more police officers assaulted in New York than any city in the country," he said.
And the rise in homelessness on the streets of the city?
"We had a terrible homeless problem, we resolved it, now we're going back and we have a homeless problem spreading again," he said.
Cuomo, who in recent months has fought with Mayor de Blasio, and repeatedly stepped in to intervene in city issues, seems to think he, not the mayor, has the skill set to fix things, CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer explained.
"We know how to fix them, but we have to have the capacity and the competence to solve them," he said.
Team de Blasio begged to differ.
"Quality of life has rarely been better in NYC. Crime is near historic lows," said Press Secretary Karen Hilton, "Jobs are up. The tourist economy is booming. We are building more and more affordable housing. Over 65,000 children are enrolled in pre-K. All on Mayor de Blasio's watch."
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton slammed the governor, implying he helped create the crisis by cutting funds for a program that provided rental assistance for the homeless.
"That resulted in Mayor Bloomberg cutting a program that was directly impacting housing for families that began to create the crisis we're now experiencing. If the state gets back in the game maybe they can refund what they took originally," Bratton said.
The Cuomo team took exception to Bratton's remarks pointing out that he has spent much of his adult life fighting homelessness, starting an organization to provide transitional housing for the homeless when he was in his twenties. The state budget provides more than $1-billion for the homeless.
