Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Meco) said today he is outraged with the decision to not move forward into Phase 2 of the state’s reopening for Upstate New York. This additional “pause” comes after Gov. Cuomo’s interview yesterday afternoon with Alan Chartock of public radio station WAMC where the governor introduced an additional review to move out of Phase 1.

This so-called sign-off, newly announced by the governor on what many Upstate New Yorkers thought was the eve of Phase 2, will be done by a group of “international experts” who will analyze data from Phase 1 to decide if a region can move forward in its reopening process.

“When we all look at the coronavirus data after initial reopening, the numbers support moving to Phase 2,” said Smullen. “The notion that a group of experts is to be brought in at the last minute is outrageous. We should instead be relying on our county officials who know the local situation and have been part of the Regional Control Rooms that have been organized to review the metrics. The governor’s decision to briefly mention this in a radio interview is not only unfair to every New Yorker but is yet another example of moving the goal posts.

“We cannot move forward if we continue to live in fear. It is time to move forward now.”