Andrew Cuomo Thinks His Own Neighborhood Is Racist : By Christine Sisto see note please
http://www.nationalreview.com/node/390520/print
NEW YORK STATE POLITICS- OUR GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO IS RUNNING FOR REELECTION….WITH A SIDEKICK KATHY HOCHUL FOR LT. GOVERNOR…IT IS INSTRUCTIVE THAT BOTH ARE RUNNING ON THE FUSION TICKETS- AS DEMOCRATS, INDEPENDENTS, AND WORKING FAMILIES AND WOMEN’S EQUALITY..PARTIES. EVEN LIBERALS LIKE CHUCK SHUMER ESCHEWS THE LATTER AND RUNS JUST AS A DEMOCRAT. KATHY HOCHUL WAS A REP. FOR NEW YORK’S DISTRICT 26 FROM JUNE 2011( WINNING IN A SPECIAL ELECTION) UNTIL SHE LOST IN 2012 AFTER AN UNDISTINGUISHED TERM……NEW YORK STATE IS ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED AND CUOMO’S STEADFAST OPPOSITION TO FRACKING, THE XL PIPELINE HAS DOOMED RECOVERY. HE SHOULD LOSE HIS BID TO ROB ASTORINO…..RSK
Governor Andrew Cuomo thinks Westchester, N.Y., is a racially discriminatory county. He’s certainly entitled to his opinion, but if he really thinks that, you might ask, why does he continue to live there?
Cuomo’s opponent in this year’s gubernatorial race, Westchester County executive Rob Astorino, has received endless criticism from the left for refusing to comply with a federal housing settlement, culminating in a series of attacks ads from the Cuomo campaign effectively calling the county executive racist, saying that he is the “only county executive in the nation who refuses to comply . . . with federal anti-discrimination laws.”
Astorino has been battling with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since he took office in 2010. Astorino’s predecessor, Andrew Spano, signed an agreement with HUD that required the county to spend tens of millions of dollars building affordable housing in 31 of the wealthier Westchester communities. Astorino “vociferously opposed” the deal Spano reached, as he told National Review Online, but having no choice, adhered to the agreement once he took office.
The county is ahead of schedule in the building of the 750 affordable housing units, but HUD has demanded that the county go beyond the original agreement by spending more and allowing the federal government to have the power to change local zoning laws.
Astorino has adamantly refused. In a press release at one point, he explained, “I opposed the 2009 settlement because I was afraid it would open the door for the federal government to overpower the decision making authority of local communities. As it turns out, my fears have been realized.” In retaliation, HUD has withheld $20 million in grants from Westchester since 2011.
Why does the federal government care about local zoning laws? Racism, naturally. The original 2009 settlement was the result of a 2006 lawsuit against Westchester County from the Anti-Discrimination Center (ADC) alleging that the county has discriminatory housing policies. (As of the 2010 Census, Westchester is the most diverse county in New York outside of New York City, and its share of Hispanic and black residents has risen steadily over the years.) Astorino’s Democratic predecessor called the suit “garbage.” Although the ADC has since withdrawn from the lawsuit and been denied twice by the courts from reentering it, via the settlement reached they’re still pushing for the federal government to take control of Westchester’s zoning laws.
To fight the discrimination claim, the county has submitted eight different versions of an Analysis on Impediments (AI), which examined all zoning districts in Westchester to determine if there is evidence of “exclusionary zoning.” All eight of these reports found no evidence of discrimination in zoning laws. All eight of them have been rejected by HUD.
At an event on October 1, Governor Cuomo, who lives in Westchester town of Newcastle, said that he “has no cause to disagree with HUD’s findings that zoning laws in Newcastle and Westchester County are discriminatory.” One of Cuomo’s big campaign boosters, Hillary Clinton, also happens to live in Westchester.
“Andrew Cuomo says Hillary Clinton’s town is racially discriminatory,” Astorino said the day after the event, “It’s not. It’s just expensive. . . . Given the chance to stand up for our local communities, Andrew Cuomo put himself all in with HUD and its war on America’s suburbs.”
— Christine Sisto is an editorial associate at National Review Online.
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