New York State Team
ALBANY – Activist Quintin Cross wondered why his opinion on how Gov. Andrew Cuomo s office should spend millions of dollars in economic-development money in his small hometown of Hudson was so sought after in early 2018.
He said he got several calls from Cuomo s secretary Melissa DeRosa and shared an email with the USA TODAY Network New York from her following a meeting with local leaders that read: I hope that was the beginning of an ongoing dialogue and would love to continue to get your perspective on both local and statewide issues.
Soon, he understood why he was getting so much attention: He was a coveted Black committee member in the Hudson Valley for the Working Families Party, which was in a bitter internal debate over whether to endorse Cuomo or his rival Cynthia Nixon.