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City Council Outraged over Cuomo’s ‘Exaggerated Charges’ Directed at CUNY 

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On Wednesday, December 7th, members of the City Council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus sent a letter to William C. Thompson Jr.,(pictured above) CUNY’s chairman. In the letter, 22 members raised concerns about the “highly rushed “wild rapid tirades of allegations and exaggerated charges” from the state.

City council members are distraught over Governor Andrew Cuomo’s alleged bid to attack the independence and leadership of the City University of New York, as reported by the NY Times. On Wednesday, December 7th, members of the City Council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus sent a letter to William C. Thompson Jr., CUNY’s chairman. In the letter, 22 members raised concerns about the “highly rushed “wild rapid tirades of allegations and exaggerated charges” from the state. The caucus asked the board to support James B. Milliken, the University’s embattled chancellor who was criticized in the inspector general’s recent report. 

Mr. Thompson was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on June 15, 2016 as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York. Mr. Thompson served two consecutive, four-year terms as Comptroller for the City of New York from 2002 until 2009. 

In that role, he led a team of 720 employees, managed a $66 million annual operating budget and was investment advisor to the Boards of Trustees of the five New York City Pension Funds, which served as one of the country’s largest pension funds. While serving as Comptroller, Mr. Thompson safeguarded multi-billion dollar portfolios and protected the assets and interests of millions of New Yorkers during one of the most challenging economic periods in history. 

The letter entreated the CUNY board to support the university’s “historic mission,” to educate “disadvantaged young people of color”. In October, City College of New York’s President Lisa Coico resigned amid a spending scandal, which prompted a federal investigation surrounding CUNY. In the coming weeks, Frederick P. Schaffer and Jay Hershenson, two of CUNY’s senior chancellors, are leaving the central office.  Last month, the State Inspector General, Catherine Leahy Scott, issued a report criticizing CUNY’s financial and management practices citing waste and abuse of public funding. Mr. Cuomo charged the CUNY board with 30 days to review the findings and the university’s “entire senior management”. 

Bronx City Council member Ritchie Torres says this is yet another stage in the Governor’s long-running war on CUNY. Earlier in the year, Cuomo proposed that the city should take over $485 million of the state costs for the University. According to News 1 NY, Gov. Cuomo may be considering merging CUNY with the state’s University, SUNY. The state contributes $1.8 billion to CUNY, considerably more than that which the city is responsible for, and yet has little control over the University or it’s appointees. 

Mr. Thompson, who had not yet seen the letter, defended Mr. Cuomo’s intents saying, “If anything, the governor is demanding accountability and transparency.” “The board is going to work, along with the I.G.(Inspector General) and Chancellor Milliken, to bring greater transparency and accountability to CUNY and take it to even greater heights of education excellence,” he said.

By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh

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