Governor Cuomo’s daughter used an unbranded police SUV to remove herself and her belongings from the state’s executive mansion, a possible misuse of state resources, sources said.
Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, 23, was seen last week carrying a large cardboard box and bags outside Albany’s residence days after her father announced he was resigning.
He placed the merchandise in a black SUV, which a source identified as a state police vehicle, and was ejected.
“If there are legitimate security issues for your family, they could provide security but not relocate services,” said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, a state oversight agency.
Horner said that unless approved by the state’s Joint Public Ethics Commission, “it could be a misuse of state resources.”
Betsy Gotbaum, executive director of Citizens Union, said “government resources should be used for government companies.”
“Using a state-owned vehicle for personal matters is inappropriate. Surely there are companies moving to the Capitol region that could help move the governor’s family. It’s not fair to ask taxpayers to pay the bill, ”Gotbaum said.
A state police spokesman said Cuomo’s protective details “provide security for the governor and his immediate family … which includes transportation for the immediate family.”
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cuomo is already under investigation by state Attorney General Letitia James for allegedly working on state employees in his book on the coronavirus pandemic.
Blasio’s mayor was similarly criticized for his security detail helping his daughter move from Brooklyn to the Gracie mansion in 2018.
Former state health commissioner Antonia Novello agreed to a complaint in 2009 for having state workers drive her on personal errands and doing housework.
And former state supervisor Alan Hevesi resigned in 2006 as part of a claims agreement related to state workers driving around his sick wife.