"I am here today to enjoy the fair," he said. The gubernatorial candidate paid for his own ticket.
View full sizeAttorney General Andrew Cuomo talks with Kyle Hughes, of Saratoga Springs, while visiting the New York State Fair on Wednesday. Syracuse, NY - A day after launching an investigation into corruption at the New York State Fair, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo stopped by the fair today for fun.
Cuomo paid for his own ticket.
His office is investigating allegations that former state fair Director Peter Cappuccilli, Jr. squandered about $860,000 in state funds, took a $20,000 discount for catering at his daughter’s wedding, put his friends on the payroll and threw lavish parties at taxpayer expense, findings uncovered by state Inspector General Joseph Fisch.
Gov. David Paterson has asked Cuomo to widen the scope of the criminal investigation to look into the high number of free tickets, cronyism, patronage, contracts and the finances of the state fair.
Cuomo said he was happy to look into the fair, as part of his effort to root out the sense of entitlement that seems to persist in state government agencies. Cuomo, a Democrat, is running for governor.
“We’ve given the people of this state a lot of reasons not to trust state government,” he said. “There’s been a lot of stories and a lot of problems and it’s time we start addressing them and restoring that trust and faith.”
He was careful to say that no charges have been filed. He said it would be inappropriate to answer questions about how he thinks the fair should be run or who he would appoint as director if he becomes governor. He said he was not meeting privately with anyone to talk about the investigation during today’s visit. He said he did not receive invitations to the parties he is investigating and has not attended any state fair concerts.
Fisch said in his report that politicians were able to buy special tickets to sold out concerts that had been set aside for directors to sell to friends.
“I am here today to enjoy the fair,” Cuomo said. “It’s a special occasion. I enjoy it on a personal level.”
Cuomo toured the fair with Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner. He stopped by the Attorney General’s booth, admired the sand sculpture and a Syracuse Police motorcycle. He bought five $1 U.S. Army bracelets, toured the Veterans and Sept. 11 Memorial and ate a sausage from the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que stand. He ordered a sweet sausage with peppers and onions and Miner ordered a hot one. Cuomo joked that the choices suited their personalities.
He was greeted along the way by supporters. David and Donna Willson, said they will vote for Cuomo even though they are Republicans.
“He’s probably going to be our next governor,” David Willson said.
“I think he’s got good ethics. He’s there for the people and I like his mannerisms,” Donna Willson said.
When Cuomo shook hands with people, he paused, said his name and asked theirs.
Not everyone had nice things to say. One man shouted, “Jack my cigarettes up another $2 bucks.”
Cuomo will face the winner of a Sept. 14 Republican primary in the November election. Republicans on the ballot are Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino.
A Quinnipiac University poll released today found voters favor Cuomo by more than 2-to-1 over both Republicans. Cuomo tops Lazio 57 percent to 25 percent and Paladino 60-23. The poll questioned 1,497 registered voters from Aug. 23-29. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Michelle Breidenbach can be reached at mbreidenbach@syracuse.com or (315) 470-3186.