Yesterday, Governor Cuomo had his official inauguration (he was sworn in on Friday night) and brought up the horrible dysfunction of Albany in his address, "People all across the state, when you mention state government, literally shaking their heads. Worse than 'no confidence;' what they’re saying is, 'no trust.' The words 'government in Albany' have become a national punch line. And the joke is on us. Too often government responds to the whispers of the lobbyists before the cries of the people. Our people feel abandoned by government, betrayed and isolated, and they are right."
He said, "I will lift the veil of secrecy that now surrounds Albany and I will communicate in every way I can, ways never used before, but I need the people to join in. I said in my campaign this effort is not going to be about 'me' but 'we.' We the people formed the government, we the people must reform the government, and that’s going to have to start today. And this is going to be a dramatic shift for Albany." The Post's editorial board loved the address, "Oratory has returned to Albany. Andrew Cuomo took the oath of office as New York’s 56th governor yesterday — thereupon delivering as riveting, and as idealistic, a public address as has been heard in the Capitol since the last time his father, Mario, mesmerized a crowd."
Cuomo also promised an emergency financial package to deal with the states $9+ billion deficit. And he also paid tribute to now-former governor David Paterson, saying Paterson's term "will go down as one of the most difficult periods of time in the history of the state.... He became captain of the ship just when the ship was heading into the storm, he warned about the storm and he brought us through the storm."
Cuomo, his girlfriend and entertaining guru Sandra Lee, and his family, including former governor Mario Cuomo, greeted the public at the Governor's Mansion (and Lt. Governor Robert Duffy was there too)—and it seems like the public was most excited about Lee. The NY Times reports on the excited "Semi-Homemade" fans:
“She introduced herself as Sandy,” Rochelle Filler, 45, of Glenmont, a suburb of Albany, said, beaming. “She was very down to earth.”
Another woman gushed that Ms. Lee told her she had already found three restaurants in Albany that she particularly enjoyed.
Which three? a reporter asked. The woman bashfully admitted she was so star-struck that she forgot to ask.
People leaving the mansion tended to mention Ms. Lee almost as much as Mr. Cuomo — either because they were disappointed they did not get to meet her, or because they were practically giddy about getting to shake her hand.
Also, the Times has a fun article on Cuomo's speech and accent, "It has been described as one part Christopher Walken; another part his father, Mario M. Cuomo; and another part old-country Italian. But those who have heard it agree: there is something distinctive about the way New York’s new governor speaks."
