FOIL request yields scant record of phone calls because Cuomo uses others’ lines

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a reputation for making very frequent phone calls. But you wouldn’t be able to tell from public records.

During the first seven months of 2017, only 102 phone numbers dialed by Cuomo — an average of one call every two days — came up in a public records search.

Those calls were listed in a state response to a Times Union open records request, which sought the phone numbers Cuomo dialed on any government-funded phone during that period.

So if the governor’s not personally calling people from government phones — which would leave a public trail of his contacts — how is he conducting state business?

According to Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s calls are transferred to him by staffers, who often call New York political figures at his request. Read more…