Public Servant
Leader
Visionary
Rest in peace, Coach Carnesecca
Lou Carnesecca passed on November 30, just five weeks shy of his 100th birthday. Coach Carnesecca coached the freshmen baseball team that Mario played for at St. John’s University, and remained a lifelong, cherished friend. Like Mario, Lou Carnesecca was the son of Italian imigrants, and lived above the family-owned grocery store.
From the St. John’s tribute in memoriam of Lou: “Coach Carnesecca embraced everything that St. John’s and New York City stands for: faith, family, friendships, food, and fun, forged over the common immigrant experience of working-class New Yorkers.”
Lou is survived by Mary, his wife of 73 years; and daughter Enes; son-in-law Gerard “Jerry” Frunzi; granddaughter Ieva and her fiancé, Frank; his dear niece and nephew, Susan Chiesa and John Chiesa, and his wife, Nancy; as well as extended family and friends. He lives on in the hearts and lives of all who were blessed to know him.
Click here to read about the beautiful lights illuminating the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
Introducing… Mario Cuomo: The Last Liberal - A Special Three-Part Series
Told from the perspective of his key advisors and the reporters that covered him, this special three-part podcast with NY1’s Errol Louis traces the rise of Mario Cuomo, measures his impact on New York and America, and tries to solve the riddle of why Cuomo didn’t run for president.
Click here to listen wherever you get your podcasts!
The Cuomo family extends their condolences to the Carter family, as we mourn the loss of dear friend and hero, Rosalynn Carter. Rosalynn was a champion of women’s rights and mental health. She was a compassionate public servant and an exemplar First Lady. We thank her for dedication to this country and for her enduring friendship, and our prayers are with the family.
Happy July 4th! May we continue to strive toward a more perfect union every day.
In 1988, the New York Times reported: "Saying government has a responsibility to promote nonviolence, Governor Cuomo signed legislation yesterday establishing a state institute that will encourage the study of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s methods and philosophy in New York schools and colleges. He signed the bill in his New York City office at the World Trade Center to create the New York State Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence, a $1.5 million public corporation to be based in Albany with a 13-member board appointed by the Governor.”
Reflecting on the leadership and eternal faith of our 39th president, Jimmy Carter
Click to read here
Church & State
“Our public morality, -- the moral standards we maintain for everyone, not just the ones we insist on in our private lives -- depends on a consensus view of right and wrong. The values derived from religious belief will not -- and should not -- be accepted as part of the public morality unless they are shared by the pluralistic community at large, by consensus.”
“I think it’s already apparent that a good part of this Nation understands ... that anything which seems to suggest that God favors a political party or the establishment of a state church, is wrong and dangerous. ”
“We know that the price of seeking to force our beliefs on others is that they might some day force theirs on us.”
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Biography
Mario Cuomo was the longest serving Democratic Governor in the modern history of New York State. He was elected New York State's 52nd Governor in 1983 and twice won re-election, setting records for popularity in both contests. Beginning with his widely admired keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention and his celebrated speech on the relationship of religion and politics at Notre Dame, he helped define the progressive political landscape for more than two decades.
“For as long as I have understood our history, I have been consoled by the notion that we are born to a legacy of achievement - to a people who have proven themselves worthiest when the challenges were most severe.”
-Governor Mario M. Cuomo
Shareable Content
Themes
*Content from the speeches can also be found within the Theme headings.
They ask only for a chance to work and to make the world better for their children.
We believe we must be the family of America, recognizing that at the heart of the matter, we are bound one to another.
Decide exactly what you want to achieve. Do you want to help people, or do you want to be powerful?
We need a society that understands interconnectedness and interdependence, a society that knows we should have health care for everybody who needs it.
My favorite thought about Abraham Lincoln is he believed in two things: loving one another and working together to make this world better.
I think it's already apparent that a good part of this Nation understands - if only instinctively - that anything which seems to suggest that God favors a political party or the establishment of a state church, is wrong and dangerous.
We believe in a government strong enough to use words like "love" and "compassion" and smart enough to convert our noblest aspirations into practical realities.
We work harder and we earn less. Income inequality is at the highest point in over a century. While American capitalism never guaranteed success, it did guarantee opportunity, for too many, the dream of economic mobility has been replaced with a nightmare of economic stagnation.
…this society should strive for something better than what it feels at its weakest moments.
The nation needs less anger and more thoughtful reflection, less shouting and more listening, less dissembling and more honesty.
— Governor Mario M. Cuomo
