Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo stood by the Empire State’s controversial bail reforms Sunday, telling parishioners at a Harlem church throughout a mayoral marketing campaign cease that, “It righted a terrible social wrong.”
Cuomo, 67, has turn into the frontrunner since throwing his hat into the race to unseat Mayor Eric Adams, enjoying largely on his efficiency throughout his 11 years because the state’s chief government — together with the legal justice reforms that lawmakers handed on his watch.
“Some people raised issues about not having enough judicial discretion in that bill,” the ex-governor mentioned throughout an look at Mount Neboh Baptist Church. “That has been changed, that has been remedied. So now it’s up to the judges, it’s up to the prosecutors, to actually use their discretion and bring the appropriate charges.”
“And remember, bail reform righted a terrible wrong. We were putting people in Riker’s, in jail, who hadn’t been found guilty of anything just because they couldn’t make bail,” he mentioned. “It shouldn’t be that because you’re wealthy, then you can make bail and you’re released, but if you can’t make bail, then you stay in jail, even though you haven’t been found guilty of anything yet.”
State legislators have tweaked the laws since its preliminary passage in 2019 to present judges some wiggle room, though most crimes are nonetheless not eligible for bail.
Nonetheless, Cuomo, who additionally served as state legal professional normal, continued to speak legislation and order on the marketing campaign path, reiterating a promise to rent 5,000 extra cops to beef up the NYPD.
“We have city officials, many of whom want to be mayor in New York, who uttered the three dumbest of the policy words you can write — ‘cut the police,’” he mentioned Sunday. “Why? As a result of they had been pandering to the extremists and it was common for some folks to say.
“That was the progressive thing to do.”
He mentioned restoring the ranks of New York’s Best to the degrees they had been at throughout former Mayor David Dinkins’ tenure would serve to halt the wave of New Yorkers fleeing for greener pastures.
Cuomo additionally took a shot at President Trump, warning that he would meddle in New York politics — one thing Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke up about after the White Home shut down congestion pricing.
“We dealt with President Trump and we did just fine,” he mentioned. “I’m not saying it is not a challenge. I dealt with him all through COVID. Day after day it was a challenge, but we rose to the occasion.”
In the meantime Adams, who faces a crowded area of challengers, addressed parishioners on the Iglesia Pentecostal de Jesucristo de Queens on Sunday, addressing an viewers of about 100.
Former three-term Republican Gov. George Pataki made his thoughts recognized Sunday as nicely, saying it will be a mistake for Massive Apple residents to elect Andrew Cuomo as mayor.
“I look at Cuomo …[who] would have been impeached if he hadn’t resigned,” Pataki mentioned on WABC 770 the “Cats Roundtable” program.
“His record is one of being about himself, and not about the right policies. All you have to do is look at what he did during COVID to see that … We all make mistakes … but you don’t lie about it. You don’t pretend it never happened,” he mentioned, referring to Cuomo’ being accused of low-balling pandemic associated deaths of nursing residence residents
“You don’t blame it on someone else. You take responsibility. That has not been the case [with Cuomo].”
He mentioned town has executed greatest beneath Republican mayors, pointing to Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg.
Extra reporting by Valentina Jaramillo and Carl Campanile
