Remembering Mario Cuomo
“I ask all New Yorkers to think about where this country would be without a strong union movement. That’s why my mother and father came here, begging for a chance to earn their own bread and dignity.”
The speaker was Governor Mario Cuomo, and he backed up those words many times. Governor Cuomo passed away on New Year’s Day and he was remembered fondly by people from all walks of life. His son, Andrew, the current Governor of New York, delivered a moving eulogy at his father’s funeral. It was such an intelligent and touching speech it reminded many of the memorable speeches delivered by Mario Cuomo himself.
Our Union supported Cuomo in all his runs for Governor, including in 1994, when he lost his bid for a fourth term in an election year that found Democrats voted out of political offices across the country.
That support for Mario Cuomo was well deserved. He spoke a language that all working families could understand, and our Union and its members appreciated that.
We also appreciated that Governor Cuomo served all the people of New York. Yes, Mario Cuomo didn’t just serve those who voted for him or those who supported his candidacy through political contributions, he served all New York state residents and served them well.
One of his first achievements was successfully raising opposition to the Reagan Administration’s effort to eliminate the federal income tax deduction for state and local taxes and property taxes. This staunch defense of New Yorkers—in direct opposition to a very popular U.S. President—saved the average Empire State taxpayer more than $2,000 a year!
It was Mario Cuomo who initiated “the decade of the child,” a progressive initiative that improved health care and education for all children in the state. His transportation bond act led to sorely needed repairs in New York’s transit system and infrastructure.
Cuomo also initiated various programs to support families, and he instituted the state’s EPIC program to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for seniors at a time when Medicare did not cover medicine.
As the New York Times noted this week, it was Mario Cuomo who created the spark that led to the revitalization of Times Square. With a New York State agency leading the way under Cuomo, Disney and other companies joined the effort, and the final result is seen today in Times Square as a major tourist attraction and business and retail center. Because of this, our Union added thousands of new members—in new hotels that were built in the area—and preserved the jobs of thousands of other members employed in older hotels that have benefited greatly from the increase in tourism.
Cuomo also appointed New York State’s first female judges, as well as the first African-American and Hispanic judges. He believed in inclusion, that all of us shared a great country and a great state and that therefore all of us should share in administering the government.
There are few who doubt that Mario Cuomo was a great governor, one who strongly deserved the endorsements and the support our Union gave him. His voice will be sorely missed, as Peter Ward explains in this week’s Hotel Voice editorial, but his record of accomplishments and the inspiration and hope that he gave to millions will never be forgotten.
Our Union endorsed Mario Cuomo in all four of his campaigns for Governor of New York. The Union was also among the first to support him in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary of 1977, as seen in the top photo, where he is accepting the endorsement from Local 6 President Vangel Kamaras and Secretary-Treasurer Vito Pitta, who was elected Hotel Trades Council President the next year. In the bottom photo, taken at an event supporting Andrew Cuomo, who was at that time the New York State Attorney General, Peter Ward meets Mario Cuomo and longtime Cuomo supporter Tony Bennett.
