New York Sheriff Sets Example by Defying Cuomo’s Overreach

In a move that breathes new life into the hearts of weary New Yorkers, a maverick Sheriff has finally declared “Enough!” to the Governor who embodies everything people hate about politicians.

Contrary to popular belief, New York consists of more than its cities. Governor Cuomo may not realize this, but there is life beyond city limits. While he focuses his attention on voting blocks in cities and high dollar donors who continue financing his campaigns, the rest of New York is buckling under the weight of his reign.

It’s not that people have not tried to vote him out. It’s just that enough others either feel beholden to him, or have simply not realized the depth of his mismanagement until now.

Prior to COVID, Cuomo was largely free to run his game out of the eyes of suburbanites and country-living New Yorkers. They were so busy going to work, to pay their bills and the hefty taxes New Yorkers suffer from, that they didn’t have time to pay attention to the man behind their restrictions, high prices, and the take-from-those-who-work-while giving-to-those-who-do-not policies. 

But when COVID mandates forced people to stay home and Cuomo stepped into a daily spotlight,  it began to be clear to people that the Emperor has no clothes.

Bit by bit the disenchantment grew as Cuomo snarled into the camera, realized the massive  resources the President mobilized for New York were not all needed, sentenced senior citizens to die in nursing homes, waived quarantine mandates for celebrities while threatening heavy fines for his citizens, and then released a book he somehow found time to have written, about how he single handedly lead New York through a massive crisis.

For months, New Yorkers chafed at his hubris, but few local leaders stepped forward to shield residents from the Governor’s reach.  When these acts of defiance did occur, they were done quietly-until now.

This week, one lone Sheriff from upstate New York stepped forward and  stated he will not be diverting his office’s resources to enforce a mandate he is not even convinced is constitutional.

Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino has publicly announced he will not enforce Cuomo’s decree that no more than 10 people may gather in a home-not even for Thanksgiving.

Within hours of this mandate being announced, the internet exploded with memes mocking the Governor’s audacity. Defiant New Yorkers stated “Enough” and made it clear they would risk the police enforcement to celebrate Thanksgiving with people they love.

It has been a very hard year, and now more than ever, people want to be with the people they love to reconnect with things they are thankful for instead of focusing on their challenges.

Governor Cuomo does not care about such things, but Sheriff Giardino recognizes them.

Perhaps more importantly, the Sheriff’s law degree taught him enough about our Constitution that he stated he would not even be comfortable defending Cuomo’s actions in court.

Citizens of Fulton County are sighing in relief that their Sheriff is standing up for them.

“So don’t feel a need to hide cars, cover with leaves or walk 3 blocks so your house doesn’t become a target of the Governors EO,”  the  Sheriff announced.

As the state awaits Cuomo’s response, more New Yorkers will be looking to their local leaders for similar assurances. Whether those assurances are given remains to be seen.