NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday defended his dinner with Andrew Cuomo in Manhattan earlier this week, saying the two “talked about governance, not politics” and that he was seeking the former governor’s insight as New York faces crises on multiple fronts.
Cuomo, who resigned last summer amid sexual misconduct allegations, shared a two-hour dinner at an Italian restaurant in Midtown with Adams on Tuesday night—an outing that was criticized by some.
The Daily News reported that Adams and Cuomo dined in a private room at Osteria La Baia on W. 52nd Street, a spot Adams is said to frequent. Cuomo reportedly ate a steak, while Adams, who is vegan, had a plant-based meal.
Adams told WCBS 880 on Thursday that he wouldn’t go into details about the “private conversation,” but he said Cuomo “shared some much-needed advice” from his ten years as governor.
“We can learn from everyone,” Adams said. “I made it clear that the governor did the right thing by stepping down when he did. And I stand by that decision. But I'm still going to seek information from everyone that's in government, so we can get out of this crisis that we're facing in violence, economics, health care, employment. We have a real crisis, and we need to learn from each other.”
“We talked about governance, not politics, and he shared some much-needed advice on what his belief is,” the mayor added.
Asked if he was concerned about how it looked dining out with Cuomo, who was besieged by controversies in his final months in office—including sexual harassment allegations that the former governor denies—Adams said, “I think that perception is not reality.”
“The reality is that we have a crisis in this city, and we have to be foolish not to learn from people who have gone through these crises before, and I am not foolish,” the mayor said.
Earlier this week, Adams spokesperson Fabien Levy said the mayor meets regularly with former government officials “to talk about governance, which is particularly important in these unprecedented times.”
“There was nothing political about the conversation, and the mayor stands by his earlier comments that the former governor should have stepped down, as he did,” Levy added.
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