ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The daughter of former New York Gov. Malcolm Wilson is objecting to plans to name the new Tappan Zee Bridge after the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, since the old span honors her father.
Katharine Wilson Conroy wrote to current Gov. Andrew Cuomo after reading that state senators voted Wednesday to name the new Hudson River crossing north of New York City after the elder Cuomo.
The existing bridge was named the Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge in 1994 at the behest of Mario Cuomo. A Republican, Wilson was lieutenant governor for 14 years under Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and served as governor for one year beginning in December 1973.
“I love seeing the sign there (at the bridge) and we point it out to our grandchildren,” Conroy told The Associated Press on Friday. “It’s an acknowledgement of his service to the people of the state of New York. It would be very sad to me if this happens and I’m hoping that it won’t.”
Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat like his father, said Thursday that it’s unfortunate Conroy wasn’t contacted but that the proposal to honor Mario Cuomo came together rapidly at the end of the legislative session.
Conroy’s concerns could be moot. The Assembly did not take up the bill before adjourning the 2017 session late Wednesday night. Lawmakers may return to Albany later this year however, and it’s possible the question of the new bridge’s name will come up again.
Conroy has an alternative idea for honoring the elder Cuomo, who died in 2015: name something after him in his home community of Queens.
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