FLASHBACK: Andrew Cuomo's $4B bridge, named for father Mario, criticized
Mario Cuomo had a long legacy serving the state of New York.
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) argues New York will come back but recovery will take longer if poor policies continue.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo renamed a major bridge in New York after his father – Mario Cuomo – to the dismay of some residents who criticized his decision to spend billions of dollars on the project.
The Mario Cuomo Bridge opened to the public in 2018, replacing what New Yorkers knew as the Tappan Zee Bridge.
The full name of the bridge – prior to the change – was the Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge.
There was a petition at the time to protest the name change – and another movement to compromise and include both names, which racked up more than 120,000 signatures.
Some were perturbed by the idea that Mario Cuomo’s son made the decision.
Former “Sex and the City” Actress Cynthia Nixon, who challenged Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Primary in 2018, challenged the governor about the decision – questioning his choice not to include the public or community members.
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The governor's younger brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, penned a social media post at the time suggesting naming the bridge after their father may not have been what he would have wanted.
On Instagram in Sept. 2018, Chris Cuomo said he had mixed feelings about the renaming – saying that his father “would not have liked this.”
“He would’ve loved the new bridge,” Chris Cuomo wrote. “He was a big believer in updating infrastructure. But he was very humble and thought having something named after him sent the wrong message [about] public service.”
Chris Cuomo also wrote, however, that it is good to remind people of those who made a difference.
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Mario Cuomo had a long legacy serving the state of New York. He was Secretary of State from 1975 to 1978, Lieutenant Governor from 1979 to 1982 and governor from 1983 to 1994.