His
landmark speech at the 1984 Democratic convention galvanized millions, with its call for a government that “ought to be able to find work for all who can do it, room at the table, shelter for the homeless, care for the elderly and infirm, and hope for the destitute.” Yet it set voters up for the ultimate disappointment when, in late 1991, he passed up the opportunity to run for president.
Many have offered explanations for that infamous refusal, since the official version – he needed to work on the state budget – was so unsatisfying. There were multiple reasons, but it’s a sure bet that his opponents – even in the primaries – would have sensationalized his Mafia connections. Such slime would have been unfair, but not unfounded; many outer-borough Democrats in the ‘70s and ‘80s had taken money and support from union locals that were mob-infested. In Cuomo’s case, it had been public knowledge for years that a Gambino family mobster named Anthony Scotto had used union connections to illegally funnel $50,000 to his unsuccessful 1977 mayoral campaign.