Cuomo's Management Style and Re-Election

There have been a number of recent articles that I've seen about an exodus that's expected from Governor Andrew Cuomo's office after this year's election. There are quotes from unidentified sources that indicate staff in the Governor's office are frustrated with his micro management style and hands on approach to every issue and system. Others say the exodus is about economics, salaries and what people can make in the private sector and the Governor has made statements agreeing with some of this. It is of course interesting that the Governor called for capping the salaries of administrators at non-profits but now speaks eloquently about the need for higher salaries in state government. In addition, there have been some recent departures of chief strategists and key staff members that have more to do with the Governor's re-election campaign as it has been made clear that these people are leaving to be involved in Cuomo's campaign and that seems to be legitimate.

From the time of his election as well as in his previous roles at both HUD and as NYS Attorney General, there have been criticisms relative to Cuomo's management style and his heavy handedness in management decisions. Right or wrong, there seems to be a belief that there is a culture of fear among his staff and key managers. He certainly is a strong personality and doesn't seem to have any problem picking up the phone and dealing with reporters as well as subordinates about his opinion, his wishes and desires. Some people would call this strong leadership and welcome it as long as it gets things done. Others think it's bad management.

There does seem to be a my way or the highway style as well as over control and involvement in operations and issues. One of the best places to see examples of this is by following the Governor's Twitter account. Here he shows his daily involvement in everything from emergency management to buying newly designed license plates, economic development and tourism promotion. Now, I'm not naive enough to think he's sitting at a computer or on his supposed smart phone, posting these tid bits, but I'm sure he has set the tone for what he wants posted.

One of the best examples of his over reach and some would say interference are his Tweets during snow storms this past winter telling people to stay off the roads, etc. These confused employees, employers and sheriffs who would normally make such pronouncements. Usually essential workers are told to report due to the necessity of essential work needing to get done even in and sometimes especially in emergencies. By about the fifth storm, the Governor or his ghost writer seemed to understand the confusion being caused. There are many other examples.

Rumors do persist that key managers can't make independent decisions and are fearful of the Governor's wrath. Some of this may be just that, rumor, as well as an indication of the quality of some of the Governor's appointments. I've seen people, good people on his staff, speaking out and speaking up but they do seem to be in the minority.

In addition, the Governor is having his problems with the liberal constituency that helped get him elected. He also seems confused by this, pointing out his liberal record and blaming the Republican Senate for various liberal agenda items not being moved forward. His dilemma seems to be that he is liberal on many of the social issues yet extremely conservative on economic issues - same sex marriage, guns vs dollars for social programs and the economically disadvantaged. How will this impact his re-election? Hard to say right now. The Working Families Party is threatening to run a strong candidate and that would certainly siphon votes from the left. Cuomo is reaching out to these folks to try to make nice, The Republican candidate seems to be trying to move further to the right which should help Cuomo in the end. But it's a long time until November. We'll see how NYWorks, Open For Business and Start Up NY along with tax caps and the Safe Act all play out. In the meantime, if it snows between now and then, please stay off the roads.