Assemblyman Doug Smith (R,C,I-Holbrook), in partnership with Assembly and Senate Minority, is introducing legislation that would prohibit statewide elected officials from profiting from published works while serving in their position. For Smith, the question of public service is not about making a quick buck, but about ensuring the people you represent are given every opportunity to live a happy and fulfilling life. Smith believes Gov. Cuomo pocketing $5 million in profit from his COVID-19 memoir flies in the face of that philosophy.

​“For all the talk about strong, steady leadership, Gov. Cuomo seems continually ready to put him before others at every opportunity, including with this memoir,” Smith said. “Still, in a way, this is helpful, as it highlighted an issue in government that absolutely needed to be addressed: public officials should not be making enormous profits, especially on the back of disastrous leadership, and with average citizens still struggling to come out of a pandemic in one piece. This bill, introduced in partnership with the Assembly and Senate, will be key to ensuring no other politician in the state abuses their position for personal profit, at least with printed works.”

Smith is, of course, not surprised that a governor who put himself before the most at-risk people of the state, senior citizens in nursing homes, iscomfortable with keepingall profits from his book deal; rather, he finds it to be further evidence that the governor is unfit for his position. “This is a man who was letting restaurateurs, farmers and small business owners drown while he was having his professional staff write his memoir for him. This is far from unexpected, but it is sad to see this is what Cuomo is really like as a leader; the man must step down and allow for more committed, competent leadership to take place,” Smith concluded.