ALBANY — Move over Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Cuomo‘s doghouse is getting bigger.
The first crack in the relationship between Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver became public this week when the governor accused Assembly Democrats of putting the interests of teacher unions ahead of students.
But unlike in his spat with Bloomberg, Cuomo doesn’t enjoy the clear upper-hand if the fight escalates, political pros say.
“The members rally around (Silver),” said one source who is close to both Cuomo and Silver (D-Manhattan). “When someone starts taking pops at Shelly, and he’s carrying the water of the conference, it just makes him stronger.”
Last year, Silver told his members that they would be forced to support a host of initiatives they disliked in deference to the new Democratic governor whose popularity rating was then hovering around 70%.
But even though Cuomo’s approval rating remains sky-high, Silver has begun to flex more muscle this year.
“I guess he’s not going to wait until the governor’s (poll) numbers come down; he’s going to assist in driving the numbers down,” a Dem insider said of Silver.
The Speaker initiated the clash by taking a shot at Cuomo’s claim that the governor doubles as a lobbyist for students. Cuomo hit back by accusing Silver and Assembly Dems of jeopardizing $700 million in federal education funds for the state.
A Cuomo aide didn’t deny the tension with Silver this week, but insisted the two camps are fine.
“He takes a shot, we take a shot back,” the aide said of this week’s spat. “It was like a tap. Maybe it was a message, but it wasn’t the vitriol you guys are used to.”
