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GOP Candidate for Gov. Marc Molinaro Calls out Cuomo on Corruption in Syracuse Visit

Erron Franklin
/
WAER News

Republican Marc Molinaro continues his tour across New York calling out Governor Cuomo for ongoing corruption and its impact on state business and eroding public trust.   Molinaro’s visit to Syracuse Thursday came on the same day Cuomo Administration official Joe Percoco was sentenced to six years for accepting bribes from leaders of state contractors. 

Molinaro says it’s just one example of the Governor misleading taxpayers and trying to avoid scrutiny.

"This isn't the way it's supposed to be.  Teddy Roosevelt said no man is above the law.  Yet the entities  that were created to hold elected officials accountable have been silenced.  The independent Ethics Commission is not independent; it's beholden to this governor.  Inspector generals have been pressured not to take action.  And the attorney general has turned a blind eye."

 He also points to other political maneuvers he says show Cuomo as unethical when it serves political purposes:  A mailer falsely slandering Cuomo primary opponent Cynthia Nixon as anti-semitic;  and rushing the opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge risking safety to help his election.  John DeFrancisco appeared with Molinaro, despite losing the nomination to him.  DeFrancisco is ready for a change at the top.

Credit Erron Franklin / WAER News
/
WAER News
Retiring Senator John DeFrancisco, left, joins GOP candidate for governor Marc Molinaro in front of the state office building in Syracuse. DeFrancisco was officially bumped out of the race earlier this summer at the GOP convention.

"The fact of the matter is we need new leadership, and I belive Marc Molinaro will bring us in a different direction of honesty and integrity.  He'll also change the philosophy of government, rather than a philosophy that makes certain that everyone can help him get something."

 Is the ethics issue enough to sway enough voters to topple Cuomo?  Molinaro knows many are focused on other issues, but he argues corruption has made it more difficult to solve problems.

 "It is exactly why this state government, this administration, have created the highest taxed state in America, why infrastructure continues to erode.  This governor has been allowed to use the levers of power, the office of governor, to make political decisions that have compromised the safety, security, and benfit of taxpayers."

Molinaro says he’d also like to expand access for medical marijuana … but has a wait-and-see attitude about legalizing recreational use, given problems in other states.    He also favors a plan for Interstate 81 that would include a community grid with a short tunnel, which he says would serve everyone’s interests. 

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.
Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.