De Blasio blasts Cuomo over lack of action on NYC issues in Albany

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is criticizing Gov. Andrew Cuomo for "not acting with New York City's interests at heart."

Before leaving on a vacation to the Southwest with his family, the mayor lashed out in a one on one interview Tuesday with New York 1, in his strongest comments against Cuomo.

De Blasio unleashed a barrage of criticisms. The two men, both Democrats, had long touted their two decades of friendship.

But Cuomo has thwarted much of the mayor's agenda.

And last week he slammed the mayor's attempts to push the city's platform in Albany. The state's legislative session closed last week.

De Blasio had largely refused to criticize the governor. That's now changed dramatically.

The mayor said he had hoped to build a partnership with the governor but had been "disappointed at every turn."

The mayor dumped a lot of the blame for less than expected action in Albany on city-centric issues on Cuomo, who he said exerts enormous power over the Senate and Assembly.

"I don't believe the Assembly had a real working partner in the governor or the Senate in terms of getting things done for the people of this city and in many cases the people of the state," said de Blasio. "I find that to be a lack of leadership because here was an opportunity to actually get something done for the people.

He said he only received a one year extension of mayoral control because he is a Democrat and a progressive, and he would have received a longer extension if Cuomo had not influenced them.

The mayor said Gov. Cuomo is about "deal making" and "revenge" rather than policy discussions, and is more concerned with playing games than anything else. He's so engaged in horse trading, de Blasio said, that "I'm not sure he and the people around him remember where he began."

Cuomo has frequently blocked the mayor's agenda. He crushed a tax hike on the rich that would have funded a pre-kindergarten expansion; he scuttled the mayor's proposal of affordable housing over a Queens rail yard within hours of its inception; and he did not deny being the unnamed source in a Daily News story that ripped the mayor's leadership style.

In a clear rebuke to that tactic, the mayor stressed Tuesday that his criticisms were on the record. But he said he knew his remarks could have consequences, suggesting Cuomo is frequently motivated by perceived slights and could hold a "vendetta" against City Hall.

Those who have crossed Cuomo in the past have paid for it, the mayor said, adding "I'm not going to be surprised if these statements lead to some attempts at revenge."

In response, Gov. Cuomo's spokeswoman Melissa DeRosa issued a statement: "For those new to the process, it takes coalition building and compromise to get things done in government. We wish the Mayor well on his vacation."

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)