Protesters erupted in Ridgewood after Andrew Cuomo canceled a senior center visit, reigniting outrage over his COVID-19 nursing home policies and clouding his NYC mayoral bid.
At a Glance
- Cuomo canceled a scheduled visit to Peter Cardella Senior Center amid expected protests
- Demonstrators blamed Cuomo for COVID-19 deaths linked to his 2020 nursing home directive
- Center staff disputed Cuomo’s claim of prior cancellation notice
- Protesters demanded accountability and called Cuomo’s candidacy “galling”
- Cuomo remains the frontrunner in the Democratic mayoral primary
Protests Erupt as Cuomo Backs Out
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign for New York City mayor hit a volatile snag when he canceled a planned visit to the Peter Cardella Senior Citizens Center in Ridgewood. The decision came just hours before his scheduled appearance and moments before a crowd of protesters—many of them grieving relatives of COVID-19 victims—gathered outside the facility.
The demonstrators came prepared, armed with signs and sorrow, ready to confront Cuomo over his pandemic-era policy that required nursing homes to accept COVID-19-positive patients. One protester, Daniel Arbeeny, whose family lost four members in a single week, accused Cuomo of “exposing nursing home patients to death” and then dodging accountability.
Watch the moment: Cuomo Skips Ridgewood Protest Scene.
Campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi claimed the center had been informed days earlier that Cuomo wouldn’t attend, but staff members contradicted this, stating the cancellation was only communicated hours in advance, further fueling accusations of political cowardice.
Haunting Legacy and Heated Response
For many, Cuomo’s policies during the early months of the pandemic remain a painful memory. Despite his apology—“I’m sorry for what they had to go through,” he said—the scars are fresh for families who lost loved ones. Dr. Damien Archbold, one of the Ridgewood protesters, expressed outrage at Cuomo’s political ambitions: “I’m pretty dismayed that Andrew Cuomo has the gall to run for mayor.”
Activist groups like VoicesForSeniors have kept the issue alive, organizing protests and calling for full transparency around the nursing home directive scandal, which critics argue concealed the true scope of nursing home deaths in 2020.
Front-Runner Under Fire
Despite the uproar, Cuomo continues to lead Democratic mayoral polls, outpacing opponents like Zohran Mamdani. But the Ridgewood incident has crystallized a broader question looming over his candidacy: can Cuomo ever outrun the shadow of his pandemic record?
As the mayoral race intensifies, Cuomo’s ability to reconnect with voters—especially those most impacted by his policies—will be tested at every campaign stop he chooses to keep. With grief still raw and tempers rising, the path to City Hall is now as fraught as the past he’s trying to outpace.
