New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was already a prominent politician before the novel coronavirus
pandemic thrust him into the national spotlight.
With so many people glued to Cuomo's daily briefings, we thought we'd dish on some of
the lesser-known details of his life, both public and private.
You may be familiar with Andrew Cuomo's father, Mario, since he was the governor of New York
from 1983 to 1994.
But what about Mario's parents?
Where does the Cuomo legacy begin?
Running a grocery store was the Cuomo family business before Mario, a first-generation
American, entered politics.
Mario's parents, Andrea and Immacolata Cuomo, were Italian immigrants who arrived in New
York City one year apart, though they were married before leaving Italy.
They owned and operated a small grocery store in South Jamaica, Queens for more than thirty
years, acquiring the property for cheap during The Great Depression.
Sharing his parents' story with Christian Science Monitor in 1990, Mario added,
"My father was ignorant and illiterate in both Italian and English.
He had never gone to school a day in Italy.
He was a laborer on my mother's father's land.
And my mother never went to school."
Andrea passed away in 1981, followed by Immacolata in 1995.
Mario passed in 2015, just five hours after Andrew was sworn in for his second term as
Governor of New York.
In his inaugural speech that morning, Andrew said of his father,
"He's in the heart and mind of every person who is here.
His inspiration and his legacy and his spirit is what has brought this day to this point."
For more than 30 years, Andrew Cuomo has paid special attention to the plight of homeless
people in the United States.
Affordable housing has been one of Cuomo's key issues throughout his political career.
In 1986, he founded Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged, which, as of the making
of this video, has aided more than 500,000 people dogged by poverty to help find shelter.
Cuomo's passion for ending homelessness led him to serve as chair of the New York City
Commission on the Homeless, starting in 1991.
That led to his work in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development,
starting in 1993, where he was eventually appointed to the cabinet-level position of
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1997.
As New York's Attorney General from 2007 to 2010, Cuomo rooted out corruption in a homeless
services charity, United Homeless Organization.
The charity was ultimately shut down in 2010 due to the misappropriation of funds earmarked
for homeless services that were diverted for the founders' personal use.
Cuomo continued to make homelessness a priority as governor of New York.
In 2016, he signed an executive order requiring additional measures to be taken to offer shelter
to people experiencing homelessness during inclement weather.
While he has been accused of being all work and no play, Andrew Cuomo clearly loves riding
his Harley-Davidson Electra Glide.
He participated in a September 11th motorcycle ride in 2019 to honor first responders.
More than 700 motorcyclists from New York state joined together as a unit in New York
City, ultimately arriving at the World Trade Center site.
Cuomo also participated in the Catskill Challenge Motorcycle Ride in July 2019, which promoted
tourism in the upstate mountain range with a ride from Newburgh's Motorcyclepedia Museum
to Bethel's Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.
"Thanks, guys.
Alright.
Let's be safe."
In 2013, Cuomo's Harley was given an aesthetic upgrade by the team from the reality show
American Chopper, prior to being displayed in an exhibit of New York State motor vehicles
in the Empire State Plaza.
The makeover included a new paint job that features the words "Fifty Six" and the Governor's
flag, a nod to Cuomo's role as the 56th governor of New York.
Andrew Cuomo has championed progressive causes throughout his career, and his progressive
ideals are deeply embedded in legislation he has enacted on a wide variety of issues.
As of spring 2020, he is phasing a $15 living wage into New York City, prioritizing access
to affordable healthcare and paid family leave, and he recognized the immediate need for an
expanded leave policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuomo also champions LGBTQ rights and has increased gun safety measures during his tenure
as governor.
His Excelsior Scholarship, which makes college tuition at New York's public 2-year and 4-year
universities free to middle-class students with families earning less than $125,000 per
year, is the first of its kind in the nation.
While Andrew Cuomo's legislative record is geared toward social justice, a leftward shift
in the Democratic Party's base has brought about a host of primary challenges to the
party's popular political figures.
Cuomo was challenged by Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon in New York's 2018 gubernatorial
race.
Nixon didn't deny the progress Cuomo made on many progressive issues, but she felt he
ignored the legalization of recreational marijuana.
She also pushed him on abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as making
much-needed improvements to New York's mass transit system, especially the New York City
subway system.
"As someone who is on the subway literally every day, I know firsthand how delays have
tripled under Andrew Cuomo."
Nixon was also concerned about corruption within Cuomo's administration, citing the
conviction of Cuomo's executive deputy secretary and longtime close advisor, Joseph Percoco,
who "was convicted of soliciting and accepting more than $315,000 in bribes from executives
working for two companies with state business," per the New York Times.
Critics on the left also point to Cuomo's push to cut billions of dollars from the state's
Medicaid system in the midst of a pandemic as a huge mark against him, not to mention
his controversial criminal justice agenda, or his slashing of state education funding.
"Medical staff in Rikers Island are saying, 'We are really concerned.'"
Following his divorce from Kerry Kennedy in 2005, Andrew Cuomo had a 14-year relationship
with Food Network host Sandra Lee, the details of which they strived to keep very private.
In 2011, Lee told Harper's Bazaar,
"I have a partner who feels the exact same way as I do about protecting our personal
relationship."
Despite the nonstop rumor mill surrounding celebrity relationships, they were able to
do just that until things began to unravel.
In May 2019, rumors of a breakup erupted, and both partners denied a separation.
Asked about the supposed split by Page Six, Lee said she was simply selling her home as
part of downsizing.
She lamented the publication of the Page Six story on her Facebook page, noting she and
Cuomo had both confirmed they were still together prior to publication.
Four months later, the couple announced their split.
People shared the couple's joint statement:
"Over the recent past, we have realized that our lives have gone in different directions
and our romantic relationship has turned into a deep friendship.
We will always be family and are fully supportive of each other and dedicated to the girls.
Our personal lives remain personal and there will be no further comment."
Although they never married, Cuomo and Lee remain close and continue to consider each
other, and Cuomo's three daughters with Kennedy, family.
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