They’re getting high marks for their responses to Superstorm Sandy, but there have been some tensions along the way for Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg.
With the stakes so high and their careers on the line, both men either held daily press conferences or issued daily press releases to demonstrate they were on top of the situation and were taking all possible steps to get things back to normal.
But there were few joint appearances.
Sharing the credit was not in the cards.
Bloomberg had a photo op with members of the National Guard to thank them for their service. Cuomo had a photo op with members of the National Guard to offer his own thanks.
If one official issued a press release in the morning, the other issued one in the afternoon.
Two sources said that a state elected official was roundly rebuked by an aide to the governor for turning up at a storm-related event with the mayor.
The governor’s office insists that never happened.
But there’s no end to the rumors.
One is that MTA Chairman Joe Lhota was ordered by the governor’s office to stay away from Bloomberg’s press conferences.
His predecessor, Jay Walder, was constantly appearing with the mayor.
“Absolutely not true,” declared Lhota, who is being mentioned more and more as a serious contender for mayor next year as a Republican.
“I was never invited to the mayor’s press conference.”
Two insiders — one in the Cuomo camp, one with Bloomberg — agreed that the staffs of both officials have been able to get past whatever rivalry may exist to provide services cooperatively.
“It’s mostly penny-ante stuff,” said one of the insiders. “Operationally, things are working fine.”
There’s a long history of mayors and governors in New York not seeing things eye-to-eye.
“There is no mayor position in the world comparable to being mayor of New York City,” said former Mayor Ed Koch, who held the office for 12 years and ought to know. “It’s like being head of a country.”
Under that dynamic, tensions with the governor — who holds power over just about anything the city does — are almost inevitable.
In Cuomo’s take-no-prisoners style of government, they’re almost guaranteed.
“Is his relationship Bloomberg any better or worse than it is with Gillibrand?” asked one source, referring to the junior senator from New York.