When the clock strikes 12:00 AM, Tuesday, Andrew Cuomo’s 11 years as the 56th governor of New York will come to an end. “Yes, my final day is tomorrow,” the Democrat said. Cuomo’s second-in-command Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, who is set to become governor after he resigns, will be sworn in at 12:01 AM on Tuesday. 

Cuomo, amongst several things, was accused of sexual harassment. An investigative report said he sexually harassed 11 women, many of whom had worked for him or the state. The 63-year-old  denied the most serious allegations against him and acknowledged that his “instinct is to fight.” But he said the impeachment process would take months and consume resources that should go toward “managing COVID, guarding against the delta variant, reopening upstate, fighting gun violence and saving New York City.” So he decided to resign. 

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Mapping Cuomo’s 11-year journey as New York Governor:

In March 2008, Andrew Cuomo took office after the resignation of Governor Eliot Spitzer due to a prostitution scandal. Starting with the approval of the Marriage Equality Act, Cuomo worked towards legalising same-sex marriage in New York state. From a property tax cap to gun control measures to a hydraulic fracturing ban to marijuana decriminalization and legislation, he secured numerous legislative victories. 

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Cuomo era’s public infrastructural advancements included a new Kosciuszko Bridge on the Brooklyn/Queens border, the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway, new terminals at LaGuardia Airport and a brand new Hudson River crossing replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge. 

He handled the Superstorm Sandy, rebuilt d Queens-Midtown and Hugh Carey (Brooklyn Battery) Tunnels, along with funding MTA repairs to its tubes.

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On March 1, 2020, New York reported its first COVID-19 case. Cuomo, supporting his policies with facts and science, conducted daily televised press briefings on the pandemic. His pproval rating surged to as high as 77%, and it seemed that he would win a fourth term but then an investigation by Attorney General James found that the Cuomo administration and the Department of Health failed to be forthright on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. His multi-million dollar book deal for his autobiography further sparked outrage. However, the sexual harassment accusations seemed like the last nail on his coffin.