New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Yonkers on Sunday called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to step aside as two more women added to allegations of inappropriate behavior against the governor.
But Cuomo reiterated that he was not going to resign.
Stewart-Cousins stated: “Everyday there is another account that is drawing away from the business of government. We have allegations about sexual harassment, a toxic work environment, the loss of credibility surrounding the Covid-19 nursing home data and questions about the construction of a major infrastructure project.
“New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the societal, health and economic impacts of it. We need to govern without daily distraction. For the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign.”
Former Cuomo aides Karen Hinton and Ana Liss were quoted in published reports on Saturday as alleging that Cuomo said or did inappropriate things. Three other women ”“ Lindsey Boylan, Charlotte Bennett and Anna Ruch ”“ have also accused Cuomo of harassment.
“The premise of resigning because of allegations is actually anti-democratic and we’ve always done the exact opposite,” Cuomo said during a news conference on Sunday. “You know the system is based on due process and the credibility of the allegation. Anybody has the ability to make an allegation in democracy and that’s great, but it’s then the credibility of the allegation, and we’ve gone through this with the legislature.”
The news conference was conducted via conference call. As part of a briefing on the Covid-19 situation, Cuomo announced that restaurants that have been limited to 50% capacity because of measures to combat the spread of the virus can now move to 75% capacity starting March 19. New York City restaurant capacity will remain at 35%.
“Connecticut is going to 100% restaurant capacity on March 19,” Cuomo said. “Massachusetts went to 100% restaurant capacity on March 1. Our restaurants outside of New York City, which have been at 50% will now go to 75%. It’s not just good news for the restaurant owners. Remember you have a lot of staff at restaurants, there are a lot of jobs, there are a lot of suppliers. We also think that 75% is what the consumer is ready for.”
Restaurants in New York stand to benefit from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan legislation that was passed by the Senate, which made some changes that will need agreement from the House of Representatives in a follow-up scheduled for vote Tuesday.
According to an analysis on Sunday of the legislation by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, the package contains a $28.6 billion restaurant relief fund to provide flexible grants through the Small Business Administration.
Schumer described it as a lifeline for New York”™s restaurant industry, and noted that food service or drinking establishments ”“ including caterers, brewpubs, taprooms and tasting rooms ”“ which are not part of an affiliated group with more than 20 locations will be eligible. Grants can be up to $10 million per restaurant group with $5 million per individual restaurant. The money can be used to cover payroll, mortgages or rent, setup for outdoor seating, personal protection equipment, paid leave, supplies, debt and other expenses.
Schumer said the overall benefits for New York could be in the area of $100 billion. More than $23.8 billion will go directly to state, county and municipal governments.
New York Stewart International Airport will receive about $4 million of the $418 million earmarked to go to the Port Authority for its airports. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is due to receive abut $6.5 billion to help keep Metro-North Railroad, the New York City subways and buses and the Long Island Rail Road operating. That”™s slightly more than half of the bailout the MTA had been seeking.
New York is expected to receive roughly $4 billion to support more Covid-19 vaccinations, testing and health care in the state.
The legislation dedicates $358 million for a New York state broadband investment program.
Residents of New York state are expected to receive an estimated $21.7 billion in enhanced unemployment benefits as a result of the new legislation and more than $22 billion in new direct payments. Schumer said payments of $1,400 would go to individuals making up to $75,000 per year and $2,800 for couples making up to $150,000 per year. Eligible families will also receive an additional $1,400 payment per child and adult dependent, amounting to $5,600 for an average family of four. Nearly nine million New York households will receive another round of direct payments, according to Schumer.
