Why should I support renaming it the Tappan Zee bridge? 

 

It's time for straight talk, folks. Now more than ever, a $4B bridge that's a tribute to the Cuomo name seems questionable. There are those who will argue, "But this isn't named after Andrew Cuomo, it's named after his father, Gov. Mario Cuomo." While true, ask yourself:

 

• "Do I support how former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his cronies handled the midnight renaming in Albany via The Big Ugly?"

• "Do I support glorifying the Cuomo name over creating an enduring honor to the Tappan Native Americans?"

 

Even Andrew Cuomo's brother, CNN News Anchor Chris Cuomo, slammed Gov. Cuomo for renaming the bridge, saying their father wouldn't have approved.

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What happened to the sponsored 2018 Senate and Assembly bills to rename the bridge?

 

Before the end of the 2018 legislative session in June, the Senate bill was passed, but the Assembly bill never made it to the floor, thanks to lawmakers supporting the wishes of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It is believed that had the Assembly bill made it to the floor, it would have passed just as the Senate bill passed.

 

So, in 2018 Cuomo and his supporters in the Assembly successfully slapped down the name change and erased an honor to the Tappan Native Americans and their descendants. This is why your ongoing emails and calls are so important. We can't let this die on the vine, which is exactly what former Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to happen.

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A new NY Assembly bill was introduced in March of 2021 to rename the bridge. In August of 2021, a NY Senate bill was introduced. 

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I've signed the Change.org petition about the Tappan Zee. Isn't that enough?

Signing the Change.org petition is fine, but it is not enough. The petition still serves the purpose of gathering a collective voice, but New Yorkers from around the state must take it to the next level - writing and calling the New York state legislature to tell them to restore the Tappan Zee name. Imagine the impact if every New Yorker who has signed the petition called and emailed their New York legislators!

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I haven't signed the petition yet. Can't I do that instead of calling and writing NY state legislators?

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Sure, it doesn't hurt to sign the petition because it calls attention to the support behind the bridge renaming. But let's look at why it wasn't enough to get the bridge renamed in 2018. It's reasonable to believe that certain New York lawmakers a) didn't have the backbone to stand up against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tactics, and b) didn't "feel the heat" from their constituents to support the name correction. Andrew Cuomo has resigned, so he's no longer a roadblock. Now it's up to us, New York State residents, to make our voices heard loud and clear by each and every NY State legislator.

 

We need a deluge of calls and letters to our

New York Senate and Assembly representatives today.

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I donated to the GoFundMe fundraiser for this bridge renaming cause. How has the money been spent?

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Tappan Zee Friends is not associated with this organization. We are a totally independent group. This is a question for that organization and its founder, not Tappan Zee Friends.

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Does Tappan Zee Friends take donations?

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To date, we have neither asked for nor received donations. Tappan Zee Friends is 100% self-funded by its founding members and we're proud of this. We're not in this for ourselves, but for the people. This website, the free bumper stickers we've distributed, even the envelopes and postage to mail them have all been personally paid for by the Tappan Zee Friends founders to date. Furthermore, neither the founders nor anyone associated with Tappan Zee Friends has been compensated monetarily or in any other way for their time and efforts on Tappan Zee Friends.

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Isn't the bridge renaming a partisan proposal - a way for the Republicans to stick it to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo? 

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Not at all. In fact, the original bill, to name it the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, was introduced by a Republican! The previously proposed bills offered a reasonable, balanced solution - call it the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge - a win-win for everyone. (Previously, the old bridge was most recently named the Gov. Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge.) Former Gov. Cuomo and his cronies would have none of this, instead deliberately choosing the Cuomo name over honoring the Tappan Native Americans. 

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