Monroe County Executive Adam Bello has joined the list of public officials, both Democrats and Republicans, calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign.
In the same statement, Bello confirms that he, also, received a call from Larry Schwartz, Governor Cuomo’s vaccine czar. The Washington Post and New York Times report Schwartz has been calling Democratic county executives around the state, gauging their support for Cuomo.
In his statement, Bello said:
“Over the past 12 months, I have been laser-focused on our community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health and safety of Monroe County residents. Unfortunately, the growing number of strong, credible women coming forward to detail troubling allegations of a toxic workplace and sexual harassment and abuse against Governor Cuomo has become a distraction from our important work. I believe the time has come for Governor Cuomo to resign. Doing so is the only way to put the people of New York first and allow our state to begin the challenging work of rebuilding the trust that has been lost in state government. While the path ahead is not easy, I have complete confidence that Lieutenant Governor Hochul has the integrity and skill necessary to lead us forward.”
And Bello goes on to say about Larry Schwartz, “On Sunday March 7th, the day after I again publicly called for an investigation into the allegations against Governor Cuomo, I received a phone call from Larry Schwartz. During that call, Mr. Schwartz asked about my position, and I pointed him to my statement. That was the end of the conversation. At no time did I feel any pressure and the topic of vaccines never came up.”