Council 82 on Board
Port Authority PBA Votes Cuomo for AG

By REUVEN BLAU

The Port Authority Police Benevolent Association Oct. 31 endorsed Andrew Cuomo for State Attorney General, joining the scores of other law-enforcement unions throughout the state who have backed the Democratic frontrunner.

ANDREW CUOMO: Top guns on his side.

The following day, Council 82 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees also backed Mr. Cuomo's bid to replace State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who is running for Governor. The union represents 4,500 statewide and local Albany law enforcement officers.

The unions have all cited Mr. Cuomo's aggressive stance on gun control and affordable housing initiatives as the former HUD Secretary during the Clinton Administration.

"Andrew Cuomo has been a champion for law enforcement throughout his career, and it is clear that he is far and away the most qualified for the job," said Council 82 President James Lyman in a statement.

Key Union Backers

Mr. Cuomo has also been endorsed by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the Sergeants' Benevolent Association, the Detectives' Endowment Association, the Westchester Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, and the New York State Fraternal Order of Police.

His Republican opponent, Jeanine Pirro, has also received the support of several law-enforcement unions. That list includes a host of Long Island uniformed labor organizations as well as the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Benevolent Associations and the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police.

In June, Mr. Cuomo unveiled a comprehensive plan to fight gun violence, which includes using new technology to prevent firearms from being used by criminals. "It's an issue I've worked on almost all my professional life," he said at the time. "I will stop at nothing to ensure that cop-killing assault weapons never return to the streets of New York."

During his time in President Bill Clinton's cabinet, Mr. Cuomo helped negotiate the Safe Gun Agreement. That deal, which was later voided under pressure from the National Rifle Association, required Smith and Wesson to change the design, distribution and marketing of handguns to make them safer and to help keep them away from children and criminals.

In Sync With Bloomberg

His five-point plan mirrors some of the far-reaching initiatives that Mayor Bloomberg has made a staple of his second term.

Mr. Cuomo began his political career working as a top aide during his father Mario's successful 1982 campaign for Governor. He then joined the elder Cuomo's staff as one of his head policy advisors. Under former Mayor David Dinkins, he served as Chairman of the New York City Homeless Commission, which worked to develop more affordable housing options.

He ran for Governor in 2002, but dropped out before the primary in favor of former State Comptroller H. Carl McCall, who was strongly favored by state Democratic leaders.