New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office says he was joking when he said the state would give millions more in funding to help struggling cities revitalize their downtowns.
The Democratic governor was announcing Tuesday that Hudson had won his downtown revitalization contest, which gives $10 million to 10 communities. He said that because so many cities entered the contest, the state would award second-, third- and fourth-place prizes with specific dollar amounts. A governor's spokeswoman said Wednesday that the reference to runner-up winners was a joke but thought the comments "did not come off that way."
Cuomo’s office says he has made the joke in past speeches.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.