Gov. Andrew Cuomo broke a glass ceiling in promoting Melissa DeRosa, who’d been his chief of staff, to become secretary to the governor. Sadly, the message is a bit mixed, thanks to her family ties to New York’s vast lobbying industry.
DeRosa is by all accounts eminently qualified for the job, the most powerful insider post. (She’ll replace Bill Mulrow, who’s returning to his Wall Street firm and will chair the governor’s re-election campaign.)
And Cuomo’s office says DeRosa will continue recusing herself on any issue involving:
- Her father, Giorgio DeRosa, a senior partner at Bolton-St. Johns, one of the state’s powerhouse lobbying firms.
- Her brother, Joseph, also a BSJ lobbyist.
- And her husband, Matthew Wing, a top executive at Uber and himself a former Cuomo flack.
That could mean a lot of recusing: With offices in Albany, Buffalo and the city, Bolton-St. Johns represents more than 100 clients, from corporations and tech firms to nonprofits and labor unions.
The promotion follows Cuomo’s surrender on winning any ethics reform this year, as well as his nostalgic comments about the days when Sheldon Silver ran the Assembly (those being the days before Silver’s conviction on multiple corruption charges).
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s longtime pal, confidant and former executive deputy secretary, Joe Percoco, goes on trial in October, accused of accepting $315,000 in bribes to rig state contracts. Another Cuomo family friend, lobbyist Todd Howe, has already turned state’s evidence in the ongoing investigation.
Andrew Cuomo won election in 2010 promising to change how Albany does business. How distant those days seem.