“Summer Of Hell” Re-Ignites Cuomo Vs. de Blasio Feud

The “summer of hell” has been nightmare for New York commuters, but a boon for political journalists in New York. That’s because in addition to causing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s poll numbers to plummet, the scandal has reignited the long simmering feud between Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Recently, the pair has gotten into a war of words over just who is responsible for the “summer of hell.” While neutral observers put the failure squarely on Governor Cuomo’s incompetence (after all he controls the MTA) that hasn’t stopped his hand-picked chairman from attacking Mayor de Blasio:

“Gov. Cuomo and MTA head Joe Lhota both hammered Mayor de Blasio Thursday, saying that the city is solely responsible for funding the subways and that it has been shirking its responsibilities for years. ‘They own it, they lease it, it’s their responsibility to fund it,’ Lhota said at a press conference hours after Cuomo needled the city for not stepping up with more cash.”

Mayor de Blasio was quick to fire back at the governor at a photo-op marked by its own controversial events. The mayor slammed Governor Cuomo for focusing on shifting blame, rather than on fixing transit problems:

“’The governor should step up, say once again he’s responsible — because he seems to change that message every week or two, whether he’s responsible or not,’ Mr. de Blasio said about his fellow Democrat, in apparent reference to the governor’s eagerness to call attention to his role in the opening of the Second Avenue subway. ‘He’s responsible. It’s clear. Just take ownership and fix the problem.’”

As the dust settled on the latest Cuomo-de Blasio fight, it was clear that Cuomo lost this round. Over the weekend, the New York Daily News slammed Cuomo in an editorial for “buck-passing”:

“As the second subway derailment in a month hit the bruises of already battered straphangers, the adults who are supposed to be in charge of our city and state continued making a mockery of our collective commuter misery. Gov. Cuomo gets special credit this week for buck-passing, as he now fully tries to cast investment in the subways and buses, run by an MTA he controls, as not his job, thank you very much.”

Governor Cuomo’s job approval rating is underwater, and with two corruption trials on the horizon, this “summer of hell” could soon turn into a “hell of a reelection year” for the embattled governor.