Metro

Cuomo turns ‘tale of two cities’ on de Blasio in pre-K fight

Gov. Cuomo dropped a political bomb on Mayor de Blasio Friday by turning the mayor’s own “tale of two cities” mantra against him in the fevered fight over pre-K funding.

“I know the ‘tale of two cities.’ The answer to the tale of two cities is not to create two states,” Cuomo said in a WNYC radio interview blasting de Blasio’s plan to hike city income taxes on the rich to pay for universal pre-K classes within the five boroughs.

“The answer to inequity and inequality is not to create more inequity and inequality,” Cuomo added.

Cuomo even got in a sly dig at de Blasio’s claim to the “two cities” theme, suggesting he’s not the first politician to invoke it.

In a bit of political one-upmanship that hit close to his own home, Cuomo pointed out that it was his father, Mario Cuomo, who brought up the very same “two cities” issue 30 years ago.

“I was in the audience in 1984 at the Democratic convention when I think it was articulated very well,” said Cuomo.

If that wasn’t enough to grab de Blasio’s attention, Cuomo also came to the defense of the wealthy who would largely bear the burden of the mayor’s tax proposal.

Cuomo said the state has already extended a surcharge on millionaires “which is one of the reasons why we have the resources to pay for pre-K statewide.”

Cuomo is pushing for $2 billion in statewide tax cuts as he seeks a sweeping re-election victory this year, and higher taxes for the city don’t fit into that agenda.

Cuomo argued that a new tax just on New York City residents earning at least $500,000 wouldn’t be fair to less affluent municipalities that don’t have such an enormous pocket of wealth to finance more pre-K classes in their school districts.

“I don’t support a system that the millionaires in New York City funding a system for the children in New York City. I support a statewide system because the children in New York City are precious and so are the children of Buffalo and so are the children in Albany and the children in Suffolk,” Cuomo said.

He insisted his $1.5 billion universal, full-day pre-K plan phased in over five years is adequate despite de Blasio putting the cost of the city’s program alone at more than $2.5 billion.

Even though the mayor and his surrogates have repeatedly pushed back hard against Cuomo’s plan , the mayor’s office on Friday responded gently to his latest comments.

“The mayor and the governor share a commitment to ending inequality, but an honest assessment of the mayor’s plan for universal pre–K leaves no doubt: It’s best for the people of New York state as well. It provides free, universal pre-K for the children of New York City with the funding to pay for it,” said de Blasio spokeswoman Marti Adams.