D'Amato offers to mediate a pasta summit for feuding Cuomo, de Blasio
ALBANY -- Who would dare step into New York's titanic feud between Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio? One of New York's biggest lobbyists, of course.
Former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato Thursday appeared to have made just such an offer for a meeting, over pasta.
Whether it was a serious offer, a joke, or just good business wasn't clear.
"Consider this my formal invitation to @Governor Andrew Cuomo and @Mayor Bill de Blasio to join me at Rao's for a pasta summit," D'Amato tweeted with a link to his Facebook offer. "All things can be worked out over meatballs and marinara!"
While not Camp David in 2000 or Yalta in 1945, this meeting of the heads of state and city -- if it's a serious proposal -- would seek to diffuse some serious tension.
Last week Cuomo wouldn't deny he was the unidentified source quoted by some newspapers saying de Blasio is seen as "bumbling and incompetent."
De Blasio simmered, and then on Tuesday, he blasted back, saying Cuomo demonstrated a "lack of leadership" and focused on political "revenge" at the expense of their constituents in New York City.
Neither Cuomo nor de Blasio's people would say if they would take up D'Amato's offer. D'Amato's lobbying office didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
"It took my breath away," said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group. "It says it all about the way Albany operates that a peace maker between the mayor and governor is a well-paid lobbyist."
Horner said the public should be concerned about such a meeting called by a lobbyist whose bottom line is built on the perception of his or her relationships with powerful leaders. "What better way to strut his stuff than to broker a peace agreement?" Horner said.
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