One day after Andrew Cuomo told–I mean leaked–that he’d support David Paterson’s call for restraining state spending, Democrat-turned-Republican Steve Levy is out with a statement calling on Cuomo to reject support from the “radical” Working Families Party because the group pushes for “higher taxes and job-killing policies.”
Cuomo reportedly will accept support of the W.F.P., if other Democrats do too.
Levy’s spokesman, Josh Hills, in a public statement, said:
“[T]he Party’s agenda has morphed into a radical, left-wing platform.”
Today, the Party has become a voice for higher taxes and job-killing policies that will bloat the public workforce and increase the role of government regardless of the consequences, at a time when we need fiscal restraint.”
Here’s Hill’s statement:
“While Steve Levy has in the past accepted the support of the local branch of the Working Families Party in Suffolk County, he will not seek or accept the Party’s endorsement for Governor. Neither should Andrew Cuomo nor any other candidate.
“In Suffolk County, the Working Families Party may have stood for some sound policies at one time, but as a whole, over the last few years, the Party’s agenda has morphed into a radical, left-wing platform.
“Today, the Party has become a voice for higher taxes and job-killing policies that will bloat the public workforce and increase the role of government regardless of the consequences, at a time when we need fiscal constraint.
“Steve will continue to work closely with the hard-working men and women of our trades who helped build our infrastructure, but will resist the call of this party’s leadership to solve all of our problems with higher taxes and more spending.
“Neither Andrew Cuomo nor any candidate should accept the Working Families endorsement because their platform would hamper the next governor’s ability to get the state’s fiscal house in order.”
UPDATE: Levy’s 2007 endorsement was actually made by the state WFP, not the local chapter of the WFP, according to this Newsday story.
