Andrew Mark Cuomo was inaugurated on Saturday afternoon as the 56th governor of New York, promising to immediately take on the state’s daunting financial problems and to fight to bring tax relief to homeowners.
Mr. Cuomo said he would unveil an emergency financial plan this week — a month before his first budget proposal is due — and push aggressively for stronger ethics enforcement in Albany.
“There is no more time to waste,” . . .
Mr. Cuomo presided over a hall with an array of ceiling murals depicting a Goddess of War holding a sword, surrounded by a variety of battle scenes from a variety of conflicts, from the French and Indian Wars to the American Revolution. He was joined in his oath by his companion, the Food Network star Sandra Lee, who wore a sparkling gold dress; his three daughters; his mother, Matilda, and his father, Mario M. Cuomo, the state’s 52nd governor, who he said “taught me everything I know.”
The new governor said the small setting befitted the difficulty of the times.
“In my administration this is going to be the way it works,” Mr. Cuomo said. “When we actually do something and perform and help the people of New York State and make government function, then we’re going to have a big party and celebrate, and not before.” . .
To underscore the seriousness of the problems he confronts, Mr. Cuomo avoided any big balls or galas, and instead held a cabinet meeting on Saturday, before the inaugural ceremony.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/nyregion/02inaugural.html?hp