Salvatore Principe knows the name and background of every Italian American who has held office in New York and takes pride in them all. That includes Andrew Cuomo.
“We feel proud of Italians no matter what. Politics is one thing, but respecting a person is something else,” said Principe.
He puts politics aside when Italian heritage is brought into the picture. He and his friends get together at the Bronx Italian American Cultural Association several times a week to catch up.
They take particular pride in Andrew Cuomo’s father Mario, the first Cuomo to govern the state, rising to political prominence at a time when Italians faced discrimination. Anthony Tamburri is the dean at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute at CUNY’s Queens College.
“And there were ads, work ads in the late 19th, early 20th century that would say no coloreds, nor Italians need apply,” said Tamburri.
He says early Italian immigrants were treated as second-class citizens. Mario Cuomo dealt with the residues of prejudice.
“He was number one in his class when he graduated law school and yet he couldn’t get a job in a Manhattan law firm. It wasn’t easy at all for him,” added the scholar of Italian American history.
Not easy, but Mario Cuomo made it look that way, inspiring Americans with his oratory skills.
“It gave us symbolism, something to think about, to look forward to. It gave our youth something to look at and say. We can do it,” said Egidio Sementilli, chairman of the last Italian American club left in the Bronx.
The members say Mario set the bar high, and believe Andrew Cuomo could have gone on to higher office, if not for the accusations of sexual harassment, which they say they have a hard time understanding.
“What we used to do 20 years ago, if you saw someone, you would kiss them on the cheeks. You can’t do that anymore, it's some sort of a taboo at this point,” said Sementilli.
While Andrew Cuomo’s third time in office is being cut short and he won’t have completed a third term like his father, Italian Americans here say that won’t have any impact on the good that has been done by the Cuomo family.
“That’s a chapter in the history of Cuomo that is currently being written but by all means I don’t think in any way, shape or form and it really shouldn’t reflect on Mario Cuomo and his legacy,” added Tamburri.
Only time will tell what Andrew Cuomo’s political fate holds, but many Italian Americans here in the Bronx believe his last name still carries a lot of weight. They say they wouldn’t be surprised if they see him or another Cuomo hold political office in the future.