This letter was written in response to a friend who made an appeal to vote for Cuomo over Sliwa to stop Mamdani.
I live my life every day with a lot of unknowns, but I know this much: I will stick to my principles and let the chips fall where they may. I will never vote for Andrew Cuomo. He talks down to people; you can hear it in his voice. I’m not going to be sold a bag of garbage wrapped up and marketed as gold.
By Ira Harris
The question I keep asking is this: why have so many powerful figures — Catsimatidis and others — chosen to back Adams first and now Cuomo, instead of supporting Curtis Sliwa from the start? If Cuomo is truly the “savior” they now claim, why did they ignore him when the city needed saving? And if they think Mamdani is dangerous, why rally behind someone who has already caused so much harm to New York State and City?
Let’s not forget who these people really are.
Eric Adams — once a leader of the racist “100 Black Law Enforcement Officers” group — is the same man who stood at bus depots welcoming illegal migrants into New York, handing out $500-a-night hotel rooms, and proudly calling himself “the Biden of Brooklyn.” Cuomo is no better. He promised to look into fracking, then banned it the moment he took office while neighboring states prospered from it. He lectured us daily during COVID while his disastrous nursing home policies killed thousands of seniors.
When Governor Hochul handed out outrageously overpriced COVID test contracts to her donors — double what California paid — Cuomo said nothing. When a woman was set on fire in the subway, Cuomo said nothing. When Adams refused to unleash the police on violent rioters and antisemitic mobs on college campuses, Cuomo said nothing — while Curtis Sliwa was out there getting his jaw broken defending small businesses and everyday New Yorkers. Cuomo said nothing as Adams packed illegal migrants into Creedmoor and other city shelters. Yet now Cuomo rides in on a shiny horse as if we’re supposed to forget his record — and we’re expected to sell out our values to vote for him?
Where was Cuomo when the socialist wing of his party was taking over? He was being wined, dined, and pocket lined like every other corrupt New York politician.
Yes, I understand the fear — people say we must vote for Cuomo to stop Mamdani, especially because of how dangerous Mamdani would be for the Jewish community. That emotional appeal tugs at us. But are we really going to abandon our values and reward corruption just because we fear something worse?
Maybe I’m an idealist — or maybe I just have a long memory. I believe even if Mamdani wins, there’s a limit to how far he can go before New Yorkers rise up and demand change. If that happens, the backlash will be fierce. The people will wake up, and pressure will mount on Albany — maybe even paving the way for leaders like Elise Stefanik to step in next year. And I believe President Trump will keep a watchful eye and do his part to limit the damage.
But who knows — maybe Curtis Sliwa will shock them all and win this race, and everyone will have to eat crow.
I live my life every day with a lot of unknowns, but I know this much: I will stick to my principles and let the chips fall where they may. I will never vote for Andrew Cuomo. He talks down to people; you can hear it in his voice. I’m not going to be sold a bag of garbage wrapped up and marketed as gold.
— Your friend, Ira
