It was an event.
When he was coming, it was always an event. Always.
Journalists — though hardened by the harsh realities of politicians who morph themselves into celebrities — enjoyed this colorful character.
I know I did. And I always eagerly awaited his visit when I worked at an upstate New York newspaper.
And now he’s gone.
Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo died Thursday of natural causes.
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Cuomo was an old-school classic orator. His timing, his cadence, his words always brought listeners into uncharted waters. President Barack Obama — as good as he is — would have been schooled by Cuomo in the splendor of speech.
Cuomo turned heads and hearts with his 1984 keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. It brought the house down.
Later, he would say his “Tale of Two Cities” gem was good but not great. Worse, he said, it pigeonholed him into being just a speaker and not a doer. And governors had to be doers.
The Democratic Party was his for the taking back then and even later — when I got to know him — in the early ’90s.
But he could never quite pull the trigger on running for president. National analysts all had an opinion on that. Later, I will give you mine.
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Cuomo loved barnstorming New York when he was governor. He considered himself a man of the people, and whether or not you bought into that persona he had the backstory to support it. He was born in Queens on June 15, 1932. His parents were Andrea and Immaculata Cuomo. They had no money when they emigrated here from Salerno. Eventually his parents opened a small grocery store where Mario would sometimes work.
Cuomo’s first love was baseball, but he eventually landed in politics, where — as the world knows now — he excelled.
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I first met Cuomo shortly after becoming executive editor in 1989 at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y. I had run into high-profile politicians while working at other newspapers (Ronald Reagan comes to mind.) But there was no one quite like Cuomo.
I realized the stark differences between governors years later, when we held a Columbian editorial board meeting with Washington Gov. Gary Locke. I saw him flash by my office window, heading to our conference room.
Just him. By himself. None of his “people.”
A visit from Cuomo was a happening. You knew this because the day before Cuomo showed up, his people showed up. It was an advance team. Two, sometimes three, folks would come calling.
Security would be looked at. Doors, windows, everything was scrutinized.
A set of procedures would be discussed. What restroom would the governor use if nature called? Because our meeting was at noon, Cuomo requested a turkey sandwich, no mayo.
The stage was set. Next up: The man.
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When Cuomo arrived, he arrived. I was waiting in our front lobby for him when at least three black sedans pulled up. Cuomo was in none of them. A bunch of state troopers poured out of the cars along with other members of his team.
One gentlemen appeared to just be in charge of a wooden board. No, really! Cuomo had a bad back, and rather than take a chance on getting a chair that didn’t suit him, he had someone carry a board for him to sit on. The board man and the rest of Cuomo’s people came in and waited. We all waited.
A few minutes later, two more black sedans showed up. There he was. As he strolled into our lobby, he would shake every hand in sight. I remember him stopping for several minutes to small-talk our receptionist before we headed to the conference room where our editorial board would engage him.
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I sat next to Cuomo when he settled in. I enjoyed engaging him and felt comfortable literally rubbing elbows with the governor.
There was nothing off limits at the editorial board meeting. But anyone who ever had the opportunity to engage Cuomo knows this: Be prepared. Be very prepared. In addition to being a gifted speaker, he was extraordinarily intelligent. He would be more than happy to embarrass you publicly if you slipped up. I found him friendly and pleasant. I remember asking him if he rooted for the New York Giants or Jets. Both teams actually play in New Jersey. He laughed. “There’s only one team in New York. That’s the Bills.”
I would often get into philosophical discussions with him. I first heard the concept that our country was not a melting pot, but rather a mosaic, from him. And I still remember his response when I asked him how the United States could possibly maintain its quality of life as the global economy became a reality. His answer was simple: We need to always stay ahead of the curve. We need to always innovate.
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So why didn’t Cuomo go after the biggest political prize of all? For me, the answer was simple. He was the king of New York. It’s good to be king. The presidential race would have been a no-holds-barred mud wrestling extravaganza. And if Cuomo had one flaw, it was his temper. He had no patience for stupid stuff. He would not — could not — hold back. And that would doom any national run for office.
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Eventually, I left Binghamton, but throughout the years, I often thought about Cuomo. He will be with me forever. And for my money, he could have had it all. He could have been president.
Dio velocita paisan. Dio velocita.
