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Mostly Cloudy Cuomo swings by Glen Cove's Memorial Day parade, rankling local GOP
Republican city council members accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of playing politics after he attended Glen Cove’s Memorial Day parade on Monday, letting city officials know with certainty that he would be there an hour beforehand. The governor’s short notice led to logistical issues and a change in the tone of the parade that left local GOP officials feeling slighted.
According to city officials, the governor’s staff warned the city on the Friday before Memorial Day that Cuomo might come. Early Monday morning, Glen Cove police reported to Mayor Tim Tenke that the governor would not be there. At 10 a.m. that same day, however, Tenke had to abruptly leave a ceremony to honor GCPD officers when he learned that Cuomo would show for the 11 a.m. ceremony. Tenke said the governor arrived 20 to 30 minutes late.
The Herald reached out to the governor’s office several times, but did not receive a call back.
According to several people involved, once Cuomo’s attendance was confirmed, the whirlwind of activity caused by his security personnel and staff overtook the planning of Glen Cove’s Memorial Day Parade Committee.
“I had no say in how they ran their ship,” Tenke said, “because [Cuomo] has his own security detail.” He added that he was “extremely proud” to have the governor come to the city, and noted that most of the people he spoke with thought the same.
Councilmen Joseph Capobianco and Michael Zangari said the governor’s visit highlighted Democrats and jilted Republicans on a day that they said was supposed to be above partisanship.
“It was not the proper time,” Zangari said of the governor’s visit. “If it was a different parade, I could see it, but not a Memorial Day parade where we’re trying to give veterans the respect they deserve.”
Capobianco, Zangari and Councilwoman Pamela Panzenbeck all said they saw veterans leave the parade route, as they described it, “in frustration.” Capobianco said that a Vietnam veteran of the 101st Airborne Division used strong language to express his displeasure, which Capobianco summarized in more polite terms: “It’s not about the politicians. It’s about the men [and women] who’ve lost their lives.”
Panzenbeck, who is from a family of veterans, added, “We have to always remember what this parade is about. We can’t lose sight of that.”
Not all veterans in the parade thought this way. “I really didn’t have a problem with it,” said Tony Anzalone, the assistant to the commander of American Legion Post 76. “Even though I disagree with his politics,” Anzalone added, “I thought it was an honor to have a two-time governor come to our community to participate.”
The governor’s staff changed the order of marchers, which rendered the pre-planned list of participating groups essentially useless. The parade’s announcer, Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews, said he had expected to rely on that list, but instead was forced to improvise.
“A lot of things were happening simultaneously,” Stevenson-Mathews said. “People came quickly, and not in the order I was anticipating.”
Capobianco and Zangari said Stevenson-Matthews seemed “reluctant” to announce the local Republican elected leaders. “You had [Republican] Sen. Carl Marcellino standing right next to him, and he didn’t even announce him,” Zangari said.
Stevenson-Mathews contended that he did announce Marcellino, though acknowledged that in the confusion, his name might have gone unheard. Councilwoman Marsha Silverman, a Democrat, noted that Stevenson-Mathews had forgotten to announce her until she reminded him.
Tenke said that the Republicans’ claims were “ridiculous,” adding, “I don’t understand. There was no intention ever to make it political in any way.” If there had been more time to plan, he said, perhaps some of the confusion could have been avoided, but “I can’t imagine that people would be upset.”
Among Republicans’ grievances was that Cuomo marched at the front of the parade with local Democrats, including Tenke, Silverman, County Executive Laura Curran, Assemblyman Charles Lavine and Glen Cove City Court Judge Joseph McCann.
Of the Democrats who comprised what Capobianco called Cuomo’s “fiefdom,” most had standing professional ties to Glen Cove. Jim Gaughran, chairman of the Suffolk Water Authority, was pictured among the governor’s party. Gaughran announced in February that he would challenge Marcellino’s 22-year incumbency as the state senator representing the 5th District, which includes Glen Cove, Oyster Bay and Huntington.
Zangari and Capobianco also said that the Republicans were forced to march toward the back of the parade. One person standing near the front of the procession, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the Republicans were invited to march near the front with Cuomo, but declined. Capobianco “categorically denied” that such an invitation was made.
According to Zangari, Marcellino, who did not return phone calls by press time, was so frustrated by what he perceived as partisanship that he left the parade viewing stage before the procession had ended.
