Cuomo's bridge lights hit the auction block
ALBANY, New York — The saga of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's bridge-lighting boondoggle is finally drawing to a close — and from a financial perspective, the end is shaping up to be dim.
Cuomo, who's now running for New York City mayor, first signaled in 2016 that he would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to decorate the city's bridges in flashing lights as a way to boost tourism. A year later, subway delays plagued the city in what came to be known as the 'Summer of Hell,' prompting critics to question the wisdom of forcing the financially stressed Metropolitan Transportation Authority to spend an estimated $250 million on a decorative lighting project.
Cuomo, though, did not give up on his 'Harbor of Lights' vision. All told, the state and the New York Power Authority spent at least $108 million on bringing it to life — all to no avail.
Now, years later, the power authority is finally auctioning off the lights after POLITICO inquired about their fate.
The minimum bid? $25.
So far, there are no takers — a far cry from what Cuomo had hoped for nearly a decade ago.
'They'll all be synchronized, they can all be the same color, they can operate in series — I mean it is really limitless,' he said at the time.
The Kosciuszko Bridge linking Brooklyn and Queens got the light show treatment — and a Mother's Day 2017 unveiling — that Cuomo heralded as the first stage of his grand plan. 'Harbor of Lights' was to be choreographed together, synced with other iconic city landmarks and set to a soundtrack, making for an 'international tourist attraction," Cuomo promised.
The plan was shelved soon after, but the power authority had already spent $106 million, including on the lighting equipment and design costs. The authority was ultimately reimbursed by taxpayers.
But it held onto the lights and equipment needed for the pet project — and that has come at an additional cost. The authority has paid $300,000 annually — at least $2.1 million — over more than 7 years to store the lights, according to power authority spokesperson Lindsay Kryzak.
Days before Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 due to sexual harassment allegations he denies, his spokesperson said the bridge lighting project would still move forward. That spokesperson, now working for Cuomo's mayoral campaign, declined to comment for this story.
A government watchdog said Monday that the saga of the lights highlights a need for more oversight of the governor's office and state authorities.
'It's a complete fiasco,' said John Kaehny, executive director at Reinvent Albany. 'This is a case study in abuse of power and gaping holes in transparency and accountability.'
Cuomo officials offered shifting explanations of how the bridge lights would be paid for as public scrutiny mounted.
The MTA wouldn't be paying, a Cuomo spokesperson said, after the power authority's board had been told otherwise. At one point, the administration suggested the state's economic development agency would provide the funding.
It wasn't unusual for Cuomo to focus on the aesthetics of infrastructure projects — he added millions of dollars in costs for blue and white tiling in tunnels. While governor, he also tapped the state power authority to support various projects, including the lighting and display screens at the Moynihan Train Hall.
The power authority finances energy efficiency projects, and customers — public entities like the MTA — agree to reimburse the authority.
But the bridge lights were such a large expense — without a clear path to reimbursement — that they prevented the authority from issuing long term debt for years.
Then-power authority president and CEO Gil Quiniones told the governor's office at the time that the shortfall would have to be disclosed ahead of a planned bond issuance, according a person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity to speak with POLITICO about sensitive details.
To avoid that public disclosure, a deal was reached for the state to reimburse the authority. The last payment from the state was made in 2021, as POLITICO reported at the time.
Most of the lighting equipment — which cost about $37 million, according to public records — has remained in storage since it was purchased in 2017. Power authority officials did not believe it could be sold since the state paid for it, according to the person who was granted anonymity.
In 2021, a spokesperson for the authority said it would seek to use the lights for other projects. More recently, after POLITICO inquired about the fate of the bridge lights, the authority listed them for auction.
'As you know, we have tried to repurpose these lights,' power authority spokesperson Kryzak said in a statement. 'Despite these efforts to identify new uses across the State, demand was not what was expected, so the next logical step is to auction the lights."
Kaehny recommended that voters take this 'escapade' into account when voting in the Democratic mayoral primary, where Cuomo is the leading candidate.
'He's not been held accountable in part because they were able to keep this a secret for so long,' Kaehny said. 'This is a great example of governance by whim and ego storm.'
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