It Will Be an Awkward 14 Days

 

The decision to schedule his resignation announcement to coincide with the results of the Senate vote on the infrastructure bill was yet another of Governor Cuomo's failures to, as they say, "read the room". While finally having an end to the running joke of Infrastructure Week always coming off with no actual infrastructure legislation, surely he didn't think that the bill, however much of an accomplishment it is, was going to offset the press his resignation announcement got?

Are you kidding? Of course, it was going to be the big news of the day regardless of whatever other big things happened today, and actually, it took a little of the shine that should have gone to the legislative achievement. Yay--bipartisan things are happening in government. Also: man vents petty bullshit before leaving major office amid multiple scandals.

And yes: that's what he did. Just like the very best time to make his resignation announcement was 1 pm EST last week, the very best thing he could have said was, "Yes, I'm leaving for the good of the state's business and I'm leaving it in very capable hands", and absolutely not appear for several harsh moments like he was about to swear to dig in his heels forever.  Making statements that he was the one being wrongly persecuted and seemingly certain that he was sure his behavior was right, it was the women who were wrong (as if understanding only that he was no longer getting away with behavior that had gone without correction for some time), he seemed like a person confident that he'd leave, but he'd be missed.

And here's the thing I can harp on regarding leadership endlessly: no matter how competent a leader is, there just isn't anyone so indispensable that corrupt or abusive behavior needs to be tolerated. In fact, the test of leadership sometimes is not being indispensable at all, but in having brought together a team united in purpose and communication to continue doing the work when you're not even there because they are empowered and motivated to do that.  And corrupt and abusive behavior actually impair the work and hurt the trust that needs to exist in a good system.

We don't have to settle for or tolerate abusive behavior in the workplace or from our government leaders--period. We don't have to look at people starry-eyed and forgive them for completely egregious screw-ups when good people exist who won't do those things.  

Cuomo has given himself 14 days to wrap his affairs up before moving on. It was not the legitimate stories of the 11 women he knows he behaved inappropriately to that I think motivated his resignation, but the final understanding that this was not his only failing, and that others would surely cast doubt on the aura of steady leadership his COVID-19 press conferences last year created. He cut his losses late. He might hold out hope for a second act, but I doubt it would feel triumphal.