CVH Questions Gov Cuomo's Relationship with Big Business

April 23, 2012: The following joint statement (which was published broadly by the Associated Press) was released today in response to the April 20th Associated Press story reporting that the Committee to Save New York failed to comply with "state regulations to show how it raised $9 million to support Gov Andrew Cuomo's agenda while claiming to be a charity." Sondra Youdelman, Executive Director of Community Voices Heard (CVH), and Sean Barry, Executive Director of Voices of Community Activists and Leaders-NY, released this joint statement.

[UPDATE: You can read the AP story discussing our statement here, or download it in PDF here.]

"The Committee to Save New York has skirted the law, failing to disclose its donors to the state charities bureau. The Committee to Save New York was formed in late in 2010 at the behest of Governor Cuomo. It seems apparent to anyone following public reports that the Committee's work has been done with the blessing of, or perhaps even at the direction of, the Governor's office.

 

"The Committee has functioned as a year-round Super PAC, not in support of a candidate for elected office but to promote tax cuts for the wealthy and policies that will drive more New Yorkers into poverty.

 

"We have publicly questioned the relationship between Governor Cuomo and the Committee, first in our February 2011 complaint to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) and again in our follow-up complaint from earlier this year. JCOPE has not provided any updates to these requests.

 

"So, the outstanding question is this: Does the year-long silence from JCOPE, which was created by Governor Cuomo and its director appointed by him, mean we should not expect a real investigation?"

 And here is video of when we visited Kathy Wylde from the Partnership for NYC to ask her to step down from the Committee.

Groups Visit Kathy Wylde's House (March 5, 2011) from VOCAL-NY on Vimeo.