Open Letter to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York State

Open Letter to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Dear Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo:

        As a New Yorker, I was absolutely delighted at the return of the Cuomo family to the highest office in this great state, and it is an honor to have served with you, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, during the three terms in Governor's Office and leading the US Governors. 

        Through the university, government and non-profit sectors, we as government professionals and leaders, appreciate the exceptional work of the Cuomo Administration of New York in addressing crisis of the "novel coronavirus" during 2019-2021. 

       As a member of the American Society for Public Administration Health and Human Services Executive Board (2017-2018), I was proud to share the accomplishments of your family /administrations in New York State in revolutionizing health and human services in the US and world. 

       In particular, we noted to HHSA Executive Board of the American Society for Public Administration, the inception of family support services in US and internationally from Gov. Mario and Matilda Cuomo of New York State back in 1983 (Racino, ASPA, Dec. 2015, excerpted US State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 2015).

       Vibrant today for new generations (e.g., millenials and the new child care for families, minimum wages and paid family leave) and the new NYS Executive orders (look at those signing photos!) and NYS legislative signatures of their Democratic so, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and now in federal legislation at the Biden Administration. We could not be more proud of your accomplishments and the impact on the future of New York State and the USA.

       Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, already experienced from two terms as NYS Governor, US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, founder of the homeless organization help, leader par excellente of the government, business, public, private and community sectors, and leader of the US Governors, responded to the world health crisis which reportedly arrived in the US and in New York in December 2019. We applaud your perseverance, professionalism, strength and courage to address what was at first an unknown and unseen future for America and the globe.   

       During his lifetime, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's signature supported housing (NYS Executive budgets, 2011 to present) and commitment to addressing the homelessness crisis or conundrum, and the "mental health and social-behavioral challenges" achieved a high status for the fields in the US and world.  In government budgets, professional and community knowledge and expertise, he worked with the virtually opposite Obama and Trump Administrations "and made it more than work"!

       Earlier, as a New Yorker, I met with Criminal Justice and Public Administration and the Law to address the new challenges of the 21st Century (NYS legislature, present 2021; including emergency rental assistance, temporary disability assistance, on 8/10/21; ASPA meeting in Chicago, IL, Gaffney & Racino, 2015; Dawson & Racino, 2015). Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's Criminal Justice Reform Agenda in New York continued at a stunning pace its implementation with signature  initiatives on gun and bail reform, marijuana (drug) reform, and necessary prison closures, among many others during the Covid-19 crisis. 

       With media and federal-state-local government and community relations in hand from decades of experience, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo took on the leadership challenge of assuring that the "federal military rollout" to address the US, world and NYS crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic was met in line with evolving federal-state and professional guidance. With unrelenting pace and alliance in hand (e.g., tribal Nations, 2013), he called on all of the people of New York to meet the health crisis and to renew, rebuild and come together tougher and stronger. 

       We believe that Gov. Andre M. Cuomo was not only thorough in addressing the crisis, but led ahead of a federal government which was stymied in a lack of information, was facing incredible spread of a virulent disease, and which not only had no vaccine, but no known effective treatments for people becoming severely ill and dying! As Gov. Andrew Cuomo notes in his book, the American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic, his international New York City was especially hard hit and even his native heritage of Italy had families all becoming ill from single households. 

       From the beginning Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's state governmental administration (with Dr. Howard Zucker as Health Commissioner, NYS Cabinet) instituted "infectious disease control procedures", sought scarce and expensive medical equipment for New York's hospitals, and turned over every stone to keep professionals and the public informed of continuing new developments. The American Society for Public Administration, similar to US states, kept communication to the public at its highest Executive levels (See, Covid-19, 2020). 

     The Covid-19 pandemic was no like no other in recent times, with known world figures infected by the virus and severely ill (e.g., Prime Minister Boris Johnson, President Donald Trump, international meeting partners). Even the Governor's own brother Chris Cuomo was in the basement in his own home isolated with the virus, as daily figures "became available" to the public by US state, US county, Nation, regions and then to facilities. We were proud that our New York took the challenge and won!

       Though my own brother Terrance Racino (age 63) died in Goodyear, Arizona in June 2020 at the height of the Arizona pandemic (later than New York), we are blessed that the NYS Governor Andrew M. Cuomo achieved "not public panic and fear-real possible outcome", but "reasonable compliance" from the population (people of New York) and the "affected and responsible industries" (e.g., NYS corrections, NYS health departments) which saved innumerable lives in the state. With the NYS Governor, we honor all who were lost in the epidemic, all who served, and all who made a difference by, as you, just being you!

        At the time President Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Hospital, "no approved treatment was yet available" (experimental Regernon cocktail) nor was there yet a known effective vaccine. My brother, like many who died and for whom we honor, had pre-existing conditions of heart and diabetes ("non-Covid-19 deaths") which later were described by the American Association of Retired Persons. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, in the true person-to-person of health care, even started testing as a public figure to emulate, and we thanked him and the international health teams. 

       This party began a review of published medical literature online (e.g, PubMed) which is now more extensive and robust, and indeed it was difficult to communicate that the practicing physicians (began in Italy) "were a bit on their own" as the vaccines were being developed. Generally, ordinary people do not differentiate between a vaccine and treatment once a disease occurs. Indeed, interim advice from ultraviolet for disinfecting ("with Clorox"), to related drugs effective for other respiratory viruses (e.g., SARS), drugs for secondary bacterial infections, treatment of multiple conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart, later immunocompromised), extended use of ventilators and PPE (personal protective equipment), and "known medical conditions from sepsis to multiple organ failures" (at first academic patient case studies).

       We were pleased that our state of New York and its Wadsworth Laboratories partnered with Pfizer in the global development (and oversight) with Germany of the vaccine, and remained consistent, professional and properly directive during the course of 2020. Indeed, I knew that if we faced a biological threat of the magnitude of 911 that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was more than prepared to lead through not only New York, but the Nation. He was there for the young physicians, the new hospital administrators, the changing health care providers, the new nurses and community-based workers, and the new ethnically-based hospitals. Thank you Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and we wish you the best in all that you do and wish to accomplish, and thank you from a lifetime New Yorker! 

Signed, Julie Ann Racino, American Society for Public Administration, 2012-2021

August 2021