Forget Pat Lynch, the outspoken head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association who has been such a thorn in Bill de Blasio’s side. The man the mayor really has to worry about is the one looming in his rear-view mirror, Gov. ÂAndrew Cuomo.
Early last year, the governor intervened to save New York’s charter schools and keep our progressive new mayor from using universal pre-K as an excuse to jack up taxes. The result was a humiliation for de Blasio.
Our progressive mayor doesn’t seem to have learned his lesson. This year begins much the way last year did: with the threat of intervention from the governor on a key issue, in this case the NYPD.
Ed Mullins, head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, says he’s written off de Blasio — and will this week reach out to Cuomo.
The governor hasn’t yet said yes. But in contrast to the mayor, he refused to condemn PBA chief Lynch.
In addition, he received high marks from rank-and-file officers for his spirited defense of the NYPD even before the execution of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.
The unions say they want a public gesture from the mayor in the form of an apology, but de Blasio is saying no dice. So long as he does, he opens the door for the governor — who has the power to replace the police commissioner — to intervene in all sorts of ways.
That includes pushing through legislation that would, once again, undercut the mayor. And Gov. Cuomo would have sound reasons for doing so, given the threat to public safety.
In short, the longer the mayor resists making peace with a police force in a de facto work slowdown, the greater the threat the governor will do it for him.