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Monday Bulletin: Columbia Application Boom, A Hug Prescription; Cuomo’s ‘Toxic’ Culture

March 15, 2021 | 1:45 PM - Updated on June 5, 2022 | 11:44 PM
in NEWS, POLITICS
26


A Covid memorial at Lincoln Center on Sunday night. Photo by Sachyn Mital.

March 15, 2021 Weather: Clear, with a high of 39 degrees.

Notices:
Our calendar has local and virtual events.

Lost cat alert: “My wife and I lost our cat Thursday evening (March 11th) in Upper West Side around 92nd street. Our cat’s name is Coco, and she’s a grey Russian Blue with bright green eyes and a lightly striped tail.” See the lost poster here.

News:
The number of applications to two Columbia University colleges spiked this year, showing a 51% increase over last, according to the school. “…the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions & Financial Aid noted both the appeal of Columbia’s generous financial aid program and the unexpected benefit of moving to all-virtual admissions outreach, which allowed Undergraduate Admissions to connect with prospective students in more regions. Another likely influence was Columbia’s test-optional policy, announced last year due to disruptions to testing access associated with the pandemic; the policy was recently extended for 2021–22.”

After both were vaccinated, a New York grandma needed extra reassurance that it was really okay to hug her grown granddaughter, so her doctor gave her a ‘hug prescription,’ CNN reported. “We were standing in my apartment, just hugging and hugging and crying and crying for the first time in a year, which was an out-of-body experience,” the grandma said.

Another proposed tall tower in the neighborhood is tied up in court, newyorkyimby reported. Extell’s 50 W. 66th Street would rise to 775’ surpassing 200 Amsterdam as the UWS’s tallest building. But “Landmark West filed its Article 78 petition against the developers regarding the height and zoning of the edifice. The case was set to head to the New York State Supreme Court after the Board of Standards voted 2-2 on the appeal…”

Accusations of sexual harassment against Governor Andrew Cuomo, which have now led to calls from nearly every prominent Democrat in the state for him to resign, began with Upper West Sider and candidate for Manhattan Borough President Lindsey Boylan’s allegations of inappropriate behavior when she worked for him. “Then the floodgates opened,” New York Magazine reported, in a comprehensive look at how the Cuomo administration’s workplace culture drove out competent people and rattled young women. “Until now, none of this left a lasting mark on the governor…Cuomo was a bully, but he was our bully…Now, the venal toxicity that has buttressed his career has, at least temporarily, been exposed for what it is.”

In that vein, Cuomo’s vaccine czar, Larry Schwartz, has been calling officials to gauge their loyalty to the governor even as he’s running the vaccine operation, the Times reports. “In one case, a county executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said that after Mr. Schwartz had discussed the governor’s political situation, he then pivoted directly to a conversation about vaccine distribution.”

The reverberations of the Central Park encounter between a black bird watcher and a white dog walker, which resulted in a false, race-based police report being filed, were felt in an upstate ice cream parlor when the owner falsely told 911 that he was being attacked by BLM protesters, the New York Post reported. Attorney General Letitia James sued him, “saying her office can now sue anyone who makes false, race-based police reports to local officials, after the state legislature last June made those types of calls illegal.”

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PastramiBliss
PastramiBliss
1 year ago

Lindsey Boylan opened the floodgates months ago regarding this horror of a man. Big kudos to her.

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Juan
Juan
1 year ago

I greatly admire the work of the Landmark West group and others. How much effort do they make to change the laws rather than fighting within the existing laws against buildings that are being proposed? I’m sure that changing the laws would be extremely difficult given the powerful lobbies involved but it is worth a shot.

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Kat French
Kat French
1 year ago
Reply to  Juan

In both of the cases cited, the developers technically did not break the law. They used loopholes (gerrymandered parcels, enormous mechanical voids) to trick the DOB into granting them permits for buildings that violate the look and culture of the neighborhood.

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Juan
Juan
1 year ago
Reply to  Kat French

Agreed and that is my point – we should be working to close all of these loopholes that these real estate developers and their overpriced lawyers are exploiting. They are violating the spirit of the law, but they aren’t really violating the law so it is hard to stop them unless we change the law.

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UWSider
UWSider
1 year ago

I am anxiously awaiting AG James’ investigation of the alleged misconduct by Cuomo. I find it conveniently timed that Ms. Boylan is coming forward now that she is running for office and may benefit from some #Metoo publicity. I had no idea who she was prior to her allegations. After the Al Franken incident, and the loss of a stellar Senator, I would prefer to assualt facts before forced resignations.

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nemo paradise
nemo paradise
1 year ago
Reply to  UWSider

“I would prefer to assault facts….”

That is what so very many people prefer to do these days.

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Gimme A Break
Gimme A Break
1 year ago
Reply to  UWSider

Re: “I would prefer … facts before forced resignations.”
EXACTLY! And the facts will probably reveal NTSHF (Nothing To See Here, Folks) except for ‘he made me feel uncomfortable’ or ‘he touched my back’ or ‘he asked if I would date older men’.
The Gov was rightfully-elected to three terms by unquestionable majorities, amounting to thousands of supporters.
The People have spoken, and a few “accusers” have NO RIGHT TO THWART THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, despite what they, and Gov. Cuomo’s enemies (lookin’ at you, Mayor de Blasio) demand.

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Boris
Boris
1 year ago
Reply to  Gimme A Break

It takes only ONE credible accuser to thwart the will of the people if he’s guilty. Improper and illegal behavior doesn’t take a back seat to the will of the people.

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Jerome36
Jerome36
1 year ago
Reply to  UWSider

This is laughable. The Dems cede all moral high ground.
And I don’t understand the loyalty. He has been an average governor, easily replaceable.

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Bob Lamm
Bob Lamm
1 year ago
Reply to  UWSider

SEVEN women have come forward with allegations against Andrew Cuomo. (I predict there will be more.) Only one of the seven is running for office. I believe these women. Cuomo must resign.

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JSW0
JSW0
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Lamm

What do those 7 women accuse Cuomo of? Very different things, only one of which appears to meet the legal standard of what sexual harassment is in the workplace. One of the 7 is anonymous, so no way to consider that one yet. One didn’t like Cuomo’s overly familiar response at a wedding when she introduced herself and asked for a photo (this is very reminiscent of some of the Franken accusers). One didn’t like the culture in the office – but had no specific incident. One said she visited Cuomo in a hotel room twenty years ago and the lights were low – but nothing happened, and she has an antagonistic relationship with the governor. There are only 2 public “accusations” that might meet the standard, but those are at the very least highly problematic. Bennet initiated a persona; conversation about sexual assault, and we don’t know the extent of that pre-8AM conversation, but know that she said she “knew he wanted to sleep with her,” and that she “didn’t like the way he wielded his power,” and that “he wielded his power to avoid justice.” She is policing thought, and clearly doesn’t like the governor, and clearly has her own issues around the idea of what constitutes sexual harassment. I don’t know what to make of the Boylan accusation, but there are enough problems with it that my instinct tells me the governor’s denial is more credible. Especially given the avalanche of “toxic work environment” stories that all bury the lead – no one saw any sexual harassment in all the years covered by the stories. So yes, he is boorish and brutish at times (much of the time?), as are most powerful politicians, but to this voter that appears to be the extent of his guilt. #metoo is indeed ensnared in cancel culture – and may in part have created it. Clearly there are plenty of people who want to cancel Cuomo.

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DavidS
DavidS
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Lamm

So, you’re not a fan of that whole due process thing that’s guaranteed by the Constitution?

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GG
GG
1 year ago
Reply to  DavidS

That’s for the criminal justice system….not politics.

You should know stuff like that if you are going to wave The Constitution in people’s faces.

Just sayin’

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sg
sg
1 year ago
Reply to  GG

Bingo…

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Harry
Harry
1 year ago
Reply to  UWSider

Did you carry the same opinion when the accused was Brett Kavanaugh?

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World Peacenik
World Peacenik
1 year ago

Funny, after all these decades here, I find myself disinterested in the UWS below 72 Street (200 Amsterdam and 50 West 66th Street included).

For me things have changed, and for the better. I was dismayed when folks didn’t want to come up here above 96th Street. Now it’s my turn to disregard the area down south.

Who’d have thunk?

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Sarah
Sarah
1 year ago
Reply to  World Peacenik

The 90s-100s are a great place to be. Not yet hollowed out, and the food is getting better all the time.

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Reply
Morgan
Morgan
1 year ago
Reply to  World Peacenik

You arent missing much. I lived in between these almost-buildings before the pandemic, and could find little joy. No markets, no restaurants, nowhere to get late night milk or a cup of coffee, all retail- so the streets are empty and dark in the evening. No people. No life. For a single person who enjoys street life and night life and city rhythms, maybe a plate off food and people-watching at the counter with the paper on a Wednesday night, it was just too deserted and depressing in the high 60s. I’m surprised all of these expensive rentals keep going up — There is nothing around to support them. Moving up through the 70s and the 80s/90s/+ are definitely the heart of the real UWS. You are in a great area where you are 🙂

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Keziah F
Keziah F
1 year ago

I think as progressives we should be cautious about the Cuomo situation. While his reported behaviors may be problematic, at this point they are not as serious as the behaviors exhibited by President Biden, which include racial tropes as well as sexual harassment. Extremists like q-anon and proud boys may conflate these behaviors to attack the President. This would be a terrible loss for the country even if it did advance the prospects Of Kamala Harris.

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Dom
Dom
1 year ago

What a fickle party the Dems have become. At least as many women publicly came out against Joe Biden’s steady string of unwanted kissing, squeezing, caressing, sniffing and nose rubbing. And I’m not even including Tara Reade in that. Lucy Flores ring a bell? How about Amy Lappos? D.J. Hill, Caitlyn Caruso, Ally Coll. Look them all up. Where was the outrage for those women? Where were the calls for Biden’s resignation?

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Penelope Pi-Sunyer
Penelope Pi-Sunyer
1 year ago

I think I saw your cat around 5 pm in the step down entrance to a brownstone somewhere between 101 and 104 on WEA. I hope someone has found your cast.

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Susann
Susann
1 year ago

While this is dominating the media and press coverage lately, the 15,000-plus nursing home and group home deaths must not be ignored. That was a conscious choice, despite the Javits center and the Navy ship’s 2000 beds at each site. Nor should Governor Cuomo’s possible resignation be a “deal” of absolution of accountability.

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Anne
Anne
1 year ago

OMG millennial women seem very frail!! In the 80s we endured REAL harassment and broke through it. Asking someone for a kiss at a wedding dance is not harassment— you say “yes” or “no”— that’s the end of it Grow up and leave Cuomo alone!

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Sarah
Sarah
1 year ago
Reply to  Anne

“I had to go through crap so you should too” is the statement of an abuse victim damaged to the point of identifying with the system that abused her.

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Eden
Eden
1 year ago
Reply to  Anne

Asking someone you just met at a wedding for a kiss and holding her face is at the very least tacky. But no one is suggesting that he resigns over that.
Asking your employee about her sex life is textbook sexual harassment.

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sg
sg
1 year ago
Reply to  Anne

Would you have the same opinion if the allegations were against a Conservative (e.g. Brett Kavanaugh)?

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Reply

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