Today’s guest is Assemblyman Kevin M. Byrne of the 94th District in the state of New York. Byrne resides in Mahopac with his wife, Briana. He is a Republican, and in 2018 he was one of the five state legislators with the highest rating by the Conservative Party of New York. Byrne joins host Brett Freeman to discuss the recent resignation of Governor Andrew Cuomo, why he feels it’s important for the impeachment investigation to move forward, and he offers his thoughts on why other scandals surrounding Governor Cuomo have largely been ignored by the media. Freeman asks Byrne about New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ statement in response to the 11 women who were reportedly harassed by Governor Cuomo, and Byrne shares his legislative priorities for the remainder of his term. 

On this episode, you’ll also hear about Byrne’s goals to make New York a more affordable place to live, with more economic opportunities for all demographics and businesses. He also goes into his decision to get vaccinated for COVID-19, why he does not believe in shaming or ridiculing people who may feel otherwise, and the long-term physical and social consequences we may see unfold as a result of the pandemic. Finally, Byrne discusses Lieutenant Governor Kathleen C. Hochul’s historical appointment as the first female governor of New York state, and moving on to the next chapter following Governor Cuomo's departure.

Episode Highlights:

• Today’s guest is Assemblyman Kevin M. Byrne of the 94th District in the state of New York; Byrne is a Republican
• Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation on August 10, following numerous allegations of sexual harassment
• Impeachment process will still move forward as it has already been initiated and Byrne believes taxpayers deserve to learn the findings of the investigation
• The investigation also includes a number of other matters (e.g., Cumo’s nursing home scandal and how COVID-19 was handled in adult care facilities), and the public has a right to know what is found
• A conviction by the State Senate would mean that Cuomo could not run for office in the state of New York in the future
• This January, there was a report from the Attorney General which confirmed that the Governor’s Office and Department of Health underreported nursing home deaths by not including nursing home residents that contracted the virus in a nursing home and died in a hospital
• It’s important to have accurate statistics on COVID-19 so that we can identify problem areas and create better policy to handle the virus
• Byrne also holds that Governor Cuomo developed a $5.1 million book deal using state resources
• He feels that Governor Cuomo’s sexual allegations received more attention in the media than his other scandals simply because sex sells
• Byrne is committed to following through to achieve full accountability
• He offers his thoughts on Lindsey Boylan’s December 2020 tweet regarding sexual harassment that took place in 2018 and what led Governor Cuomo to finally resign
• New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ statement in response to the 11 women who were reportedly harassed by Governor Cuomo
• Byrne feels we will not be able to get anything done politically if we allow this culture of corruption to continue
• He wants to make New York a more affordable place to live with plenty of economic opportunities for all demographics, and “grow our pie” by being more welcoming to businesses
• Byrne supports vaccines and feels they’re important, but does not believe in shaming people who feel otherwise - doing this will not persuade them, it will do the opposite
• You can read his op-ed, “Why I Got...