Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20210823

A28 u.s. news
Dialuna 23 augustus 2021

Cuomo’s drive to dominate led to success, and his downfall

(AP) - Back in 2018, when success led to Cuomo’s ac- in his final days. The arrival
there was talk he might complishments, it also pre- of Tropical Storm Henri on
run for president, Andrew cipitated his undoing. Many Sunday put Cuomo back in
Cuomo insisted there was of Cuomo’s accusers told the familiar role of respond-
only one reason he would investigators that the gover- ing to a natural disaster.
leave office early. And it nor used his power, and the Whether it was Superstorm
wasn’t the White House. threat of retaliation, to harass Sandy, winter storms in Buf-
“The only caveat,” he said, them, believing they would falo or just a typical upstate
“is if God strikes me dead.” never report him. snowstorm, Cuomo the ex-
ecutive always seemed to be
Another possibility will be “The Andrew Cuomo I’ve most engaged in times of
realized this week, when the known since 1995 has always natural disaster, sometimes
Democrat resigns in disgrace, been about power and con- even personally respond-
his allies gone, his legacy trol,” said Karen Hinton, a ing to motorists stranded in
stained by allegations of sex- former aide to Cuomo when snowstorms (always captured
ual harassment. This ending he was housing secretary un- on film, of course).
was not brought about by a der President Bill Clinton. The son of former Gov. Ma-
bolt from the heavens, but “His bullying, his flirting, his rio Cuomo, Andrew seemed gets made and seems to enjoy commercials featuring Cuo-
by 11 women who told their sexual overtones are largely destined to follow in his fa- the work. mo. Two of Cuomo’s closest
stories to investigators. about controlling the person. ther’s steps. As a young man, advisors were sentenced to
He thought he’d get away he served as aide and cam- Cuomo also appeared to jail for corruption related to
For those who watched with it because of that power paign manager for his father delight in diminishing op- spending on economic devel-
Cuomo’s daily COVID-19 and control.” before joining Clinton’s ponents and critics, be they opment. Investigations into
briefings and saw a beacon cabinet. He returned to New reporters or political rivals. Cuomo’s role ended without
of strength and competence, Hinton is not among the 11 York for a failed bid for gov- He mocked one GOP op- charges.
Cuomo’s departure from women at the center of the ernor in 2002, then won the ponent as short, dismissed
the governor’s mansion may attorney general’s report, but attorney general’s office four 2018 Democratic Primary He won an Emmy for his
seem a stunning reversal. For she has said Cuomo once years later. In 2010, he ran for challenger Cynthia Nixon as daily COVID briefings and
New Yorkers, and especially gave her an uncomfortable governor again and won. a “prosecco sipping” actress was so proud of the state’s re-
those who butted heads with hug in a hotel room that was and regularly bedeviled his sponse that he wrote a book
Cuomo, it is a story about “too long, too tight, too inti- Almost immediately, he be- one-time friend turned nem- — even as his administration
how his drive to dominate mate.” gan to leave his imprint on esis, New York City Mayor was accused of covering up
made him the master of New the state. He angered progres- Bill de Blasio. deaths in nursing homes af-
York politics and brought Cuomo has apologized for sives by making deals with ter it forced them to accept
about his downfall. some of his actions, and said Republicans. He announced It’s not the only contradic- COVID patients.
others were misunderstood. big economic development tion in his long career.
“My natural instinct is to be He has said some of the ac- programs designed to turn “The country was mesmer-
aggressive, and it doesn’t al- cusations are “unfair and around the upstate economy. He built more new bridges, ized by Gov. Cuomo’s blunt
ways serve me well,” Cuomo untruthful” and driven by He corralled votes for gay train stations and airport fa- talk about the pandemic, but
acknowledged in a recent politics. While he was ini- marriage, gun control and tax cilities than any governor in he didn’t even follow the ex-
memoir detailing his re- tially defiant, he announced caps. decades, but he slashed fund- perts,” said Susan Lerner, ex-
sponse to the pandemic. “I earlier this month that he ing to local governments ecutive director of Common
am a controlling personality. plans to resign Monday. He Though he excels at the struggling to pay for aging Cause, a good government
... But you show me a person will be replaced by Lt. Gov. backroom deal-making cul- sewers and roads. group that has long butted
who is not controlling, and Kathy Hochul, who is set to ture of Albany, Cuomo never heads with Cuomo. “That’s
I’ll show you a person who is become New York’s first fe- seemed as comfortable with He bragged about invest- emblematic of his style: The
probably not highly success- male governor. the personal side of politics. ments in new businesses and performance looks great, but
ful.” He’s not a baby kisser, but in western New York, but when you get into the details,
But not before one last emer- rather a political operator many programs generated there are big holes and very
But if equating control with gency to challenge Cuomo who knows how the sausage little besides state-funded little substance.”

Bus driver shortages are latest challenge hitting US schools

(AP) — A Montana school many sectors and the pan- the county, held test driving
district is dangling $4,000 demic’s lingering effects have events they called “Big Bus,
bonuses and inviting peo- made it worse, since about No Big Deal” in Montana
ple to test drive big yel- half the workforce was over and many other states this
low school buses in hopes 65 and more vulnerable to summer to give people an
of enticing them to take a the virus, said Joanna McFar- opportunity to try their hand
job that schools are strug- land, co-founder and CEO of at driving. The hope was that
gling to fill as kids return school ride-service company it could remove a barrier to
to in-person classes. HopSkipDrive, which tracks those who otherwise might
school bus issues. be interested in helping
A Delaware school district get kids safely to and from
offered to pay parents $700 to Her company conducted a school, said Dan Redford,
take care of their own trans- survey in March that found with First Student in Helena,
portation, and a Pittsburgh nearly 80% of districts that Montana.
district delayed the start of responded were having trou-
classes and said hundreds ble finding enough bus driv- “We actually set up a closed
more children would have ers. course at the fairgrounds,
to walk to school. Schools masking requirements, and and we invited the public to
across the U.S. are offering The shortage of bus drivers the challenge of catching up “It’s really at a breaking come in and learn that it’s not
hiring bonuses, providing the is complicating the start of a on educational ground lost as point,” McFarland said. a big deal to drive a big bus,”
training needed to get a com- school year already besieged the pandemic raged last year. Redford said. “They’re actu-
mercial driver’s license and by the highly contagious delta First Student, a company ally pretty easy to drive. You
increasing hourly pay to at- variant of COVID-19, con- The driver shortfall isn’t new, that contracts bus service sit up high. You’ve got plenty
tract more drivers. tentious disagreement over but a labor shortage across for school districts around of view.”