Front-runner Andrew Cuomo using Rose Garden strategy in NYC mayoral bid, critics claim

There’s the “Rose Garden” strategy — and then there’s the “Cuo Garden” strategy.Ex-Gov.Andrew Cuomo is running a “Rose Garden” strategy in his comeback bid for mayor, keeping his interactions with the public and press to a minimum, an anti-Cuomo group claims.“Andrew Cuomo plays the tough guy, but apparently he’s too scared to take a question from a voter.

This guy claims he’s a crisis manager, but he’s not willing to answer any difficult questions about how he would actually do the job,” said Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the anti-Cuomo group New Yorkers for Better Leadership.Front-runner Cuomo entered the campaign nearly a month ago and his camp dismissed the accusation as nonsense.The term “Rose Garden” campaign was first used by then-Democrat candidate Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election as an attack on incumbent Gerald Ford.Carter accused Ford of running a “Rose Garden strategy” to get himself free publicity by signing bills into law and making pronouncements — using the prestige of his office to create PR opportunities without having to face scrutiny.Similarly, Cuomo’s public exposure has been extremely limited, Hitt claimed.She said Cuomo should be confronted more directly over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the controversial order directing COVID-infected hospital patients into nursing homes, and various scandals that could dog him if elected mayor.“Won’t Cuomo’s baggage get in the way of running the City? We won’t waste time trying to figure out what on earth an ‘emotional romantic relationship’ is, but it is clear the former governor continues to be dogged by lawsuits and other scandals,” said Hitt, referring to The Post’s bombshell story last week about Cuomo’s relationship with former top aide and adviser Melissa DeRosa.“How will he ensure that drama doesn’t distract him from the urgent task of running the City, as it has Mayor Adams?”One campaign strategist...