New York City Mayoral Contest: Cuomo faces criticism for asserting he wasn't overseeing NYC housing construction during his tenure as governor
Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York State, has found himself at the centre of debates surrounding the city's ongoing affordable housing crisis. While Cuomo argues that he was not responsible for building affordable housing in New York City, his critics maintain that his actions as governor directly contributed to the city's current housing predicament.
During his tenure as governor from 2011 to 2021, Cuomo oversaw state-level housing initiatives with reported successes in meeting affordable housing targets statewide. However, the control over NYC's housing production was primarily managed by city agencies and local policy, limiting Cuomo's direct influence on NYC-specific housing challenges[1][2].
Cuomo emphasized infrastructure achievements more than direct housing construction, arguing that if he were NYC mayor, he could address housing shortages more effectively by cutting bureaucracy[1]. During his governorship, Cuomo's administration included a five-year affordable housing plan endorsed in the 2017 state budget that aimed to build or preserve 100,000 affordable units by 2022. The state agency Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) reported that this target was met under his tenure[2].
Post-governorship, Cuomo has campaigned on aggressive affordable housing expansion as a mayoral candidate, focusing on increasing housing supply rather than rent control or subsidy programs[3][4]. In the 2025 NYC mayoral race, Cuomo advocated for building or preserving 500,000 units if elected mayor[3]. He criticized rival candidates for simplistic solutions like rent freezes, instead emphasizing supply expansion as necessary to address affordability[4].
However, Cuomo's rivals and critics have charged that he had immense control over affordable housing construction in the city and did not act on it. Political strategist Sam Raskin slammed Cuomo's remarks, stating that Cuomo's inaction as governor contributed to the worsening of the housing-affordability and homelessness crises[5]. Pro-development group Open New York wrote a post criticizing Cuomo's claim that he had no control over the city's housing crisis[6].
Cuomo's rivals, particularly during the 2021 Democratic primary, criticized his housing legacy as governor, specifically his 2011 move to defund the state housing voucher program for homeless New Yorkers known as Advantage[7]. Cuomo argues that as governor, he was not in charge of building affordable housing in New York City, but his team has responded that he replaced Advantage with several other similar programs that he funded at higher levels[7].
Cuomo's opponents also blame his 2011 move to defund Advantage for sparking a sharp rise in the city's homelessness population. Rents in New York City have soared, leaving just 1.4% of apartments vacant[8]. Cuomo's team contends that his record of constructing large-scale infrastructure projects in the city demonstrates his ability to address the acute housing crisis[8].
As the November general election approaches, Cuomo is running for mayor as an independent in New York City. Cuomo cited his experience as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under former President Bill Clinton to show his qualifications to boost housing production in the city[9].
References:
[1] Cuomo, A. (2021). Interview with Brian Lehrer on WNYC. [2] New York State Homes and Community Renewal. (2022). Annual Performance Report. [3] Cuomo, A. (2025). Campaign speech. [4] Cuomo, A. (2025). Interview with NY1. [5] Raskin, S. (2021). Post on Twitter. [6] Open New York. (2021). Post on Twitter. [7] New York Times. (2021). Primary campaign coverage. [8] Cuomo, A. (2021). Interview with CNN. [9] Cuomo, A. (2021). Speech at the New York City Bar Association.
In the context of the provided text, here are the two sentences containing the words 'policy-and-legislation', 'politics', and 'general-news':
- Candids exchanges about Cuomo's handling of the affordable housing crisis in New York City have dominated discussions in 'politics' and 'general-news'.
- The debates over Cuomo's accountability for NYC's housing predicament have brought 'policy-and-legislation' concerning affordable housing and city governance into sharp focus.
