Former Andrew Cuomo aide slams the NY Governor's 'toxic team environment', says his staff are 'deathly afraid of him' and find their working lives 'endlessly dispiriting'
A former aide for New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo called his office the 'most toxic team environment' and said there’s a 'whole book of people who have been harmed.'
Lindsey Boylan, a Democratic candidate for 2021 Manhattan Borough President, made the claims on Saturday in a Twitter thread.
She previously worked for Cuomo's administration from 2015 to 2018, per her LinkedIn.
'Most toxic team environment? Working for @NYGovCuomo,' Boylan wrote.
'I’ve had many jobs. Waitressing at @Friendlys as a teenager was an infinitely more respectful environment. Even when I had bad customers who tipped poorly. If people weren’t deathly afraid of him, they’d be saying the same thing and you’d already know the stories.'
Lindsey Boylan (left), a former aide of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (right), called his office the 'most toxic team environment' in a Twitter thread
Boylan was employed at Empire State Development, New York's economic development public-benefit corporation, until March 2018.
She then served as deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to Cuomo.
'Seriously, the messages and texts I receive when I speak the truth about this...it’s a whole book of people who have been harmed,' Boylan continued.
Boylan then described Cuomo having a tight-knit group of confidants, and those who weren't a part of it faced a 'dispiriting' work environment.
Boylan previously worked for Cuomo's administration from 2015 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn
Boylan said her former waitressing job at Friendlys was an 'infinitely more respectful environment' than Cuomo's office
Boylan: 'If people weren’t deathly afraid of him, they’d be saying the same thing and you’d already know the stories'
'Don’t be surprised that it’s the same small group of white people sitting alongside him at every presser,' she wrote.
'The same group that he has had by him the whole time, doing his dirty work. If you’re not one of those handful, your life working for him is endlessly dispiriting.'
Boylan said that she tried to quit her job three times before leaving, calling Cuomo's office 'beyond toxic.'
'I’ve worked hard my whole life. Hustled - fake it till you make it style. That environment is beyond toxic. I’m still unwrapping it years later in therapy!
'And I’m a privileged person. I could opt out and eventually did. I shudder to think what happens to others. It pisses me off so much.'
Earlier this year, Boylan ran against Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler in the state's 10th Congressional District but was defeated.
Boylan: 'The same group that he has had by him the whole time, doing his dirty work. If you’re not one of those handful, your life working for him is endlessly dispiriting'
Boylan said she tried to quit her position at Cuomo's office three times before eventually exiting
Boylan was the second former aide of Cuomo who spoke out against the governor in less than two weeks
Earlier this year, Boylan ran against Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler in the state's 10th Congressional District but was defeated.
Boylan's Twitter thread comes after another former aide for Cuomo spoke out against the governor.
Alexis Grenell used to work as Cuomo's deputy director of intergovernmental affairs when he was New York's Attorney General.
In an article published by The Nation on Friday, she said that while he'd 'undeniably' shown good leadership at the start of the year, he has since descended into being snarky and argumentative.
Alexis Grenell used to work as Cuomo's deputy director of intergovernmental affairs when he was New York's Attorney General
She used his recent outburst at journalists who had asked him if schools would be open the next day as an example, calling it the kind of 'tantrum' he was known for throwing before the pandemic turned him into a hero.
'It all boils down to this: Any dissent is a partisan attack on our very lives, and Andrew Cuomo is our only hope. To solidify the narrative, he's even written a self-congratulatory book at what he calls 'half-time' in the crisis.
'Kind of like how every coach puts out a press release mid-game and Winston Churchill wrote the history of World War II in 1943. Oh, wait…'
'Indeed, St. Andrew, our savior of the spring, is now milking his 15 minutes of fame for an extra 30.'
Cuomo in recent weeks has faced backlash over his Covid-19 restrictions, including a statewide 10pm curfew banning on-premises consumption at restaurants.
Eateries were one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, with many struggling to remain open as the number of customers took a dive and restrictions on occupancy affected revenue.
On Friday, Danny Presti of the shuttered Mac's Public House on Staten Island said he and the co-owner, Keith McAlarney, were tired of pleading with New York officials for help during the pandemic.
'We've pleaded with them to work with us and other small businesses,' Presti told Fox News on Friday.
'At this point...we are losing faith, and kind of lost faith in the ability for our local and city governments to help us.'
People gather outside of the restaurant Mac's Public House for a rally against state and city mandates to stop indoor dining to control the spread of the coronavirus, in Staten Island, New York
Gov. Cuomo (pictured) recently won the the International Emmy Founders Award for his 'masterful use of TV to inform and calm people around the world'
Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned indoor dining in parts of Staten Island that experienced coronavirus case increases, as well as implemented a statewide 10pm curfew
Presti decried the indoor dining ban on parts of Staten Island, where cases and hospitalizations have spiked, that forced his business to limit some services.
Dozens of patrons and restaurant owners gathered outside of Mac's Pub last week to protest Cuomo's orders.
And Cuomo recently faced criticism after being awarded the International Emmy Founders Award for his 'masterful use of TV to inform and calm people around the world.'
Some questioned the honor, given New York had the most severe Covid-19 infection rates, and considering some of Cuomo's decisions, namely the fact that he sent thousands of COVID-19 patients back into nursing homes.
Cuomo's decision to send elderly COVID-19 patients back into nursing homes was blamed for the deaths of thousands of other elderly New York residents. Cuomo has said nothing about it.
