Cuomo warns state agencies to start pumping out good newsBy Carl Campanile February 22, 2017 | 12:05am | Updated
Modal Trigger Cuomo warns state agencies to start pumping out good news
Gov. Cuomo’s office has
warned public-relations officers at 55 state agencies to
start churning out a lot more good news about the administration — or else, sources said.Cuomo’s communications director, James Allen, delivered the stern message in a conference call last week, leaving some of the agency officials rattled.
“If you don’t generate more press releases . . . changes will be made!” Allen declared, according to one source.
He singled out some low-performing state agencies by name, the source added.
One state p.r. vet said the call was jarring.
“I don’t like being threatened,” said the official.
Cuomo is not up for re-election until 2018, but a big third election victory could position him for higher office.
The governor is among those being mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for the White House in 2020.
Allen, who confirmed the conference call, described it as a motivational, team-building pep talk.
“We make no apologies for holding state agencies to the highest standards and
pushing them to keep New Yorkers informed about the excellent work they’re doing across the state,” he said.Whatever its intent, the call quickly achieved its goal.
Within the space of a few hours, the administration issued a flurry of press releases Tuesday from various agencies spotlighting its achievements.
The announcements included:
Solar power in the state increased nearly 800 percent over the past five years.
The State Police Forensic Investigation Center had slashed the amount of time it takes to process forensic evidence in drunken-driving cases.
There’s a crackdown on illegal waste dumping in the city, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.
A sting by the state Department of Financial Services caught 11 health insurers allegedly providing inaccurate or misleading information to consumers about providing contraceptive coverage.
Some 370 CUNY and SUNY students registered to take part in the first Making College Possible Coding Challenge.
Agency press secretaries are managerial employees who serve at the pleasure of the governor, so they already spend their time trying to make him look good.
“The time-honored tradition is the governor gets credit for good news generated by an agency. If it’s bad news, it’s the commissioner’s fault,” said one state official.
http://nypost.com/2017/02/22/cuomo-warns-state-agencies-to-start-pumping-out-good-news/
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