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NY Gov Was Joking About Prizes For Cities, Office Says

Composite Image by Dave Lucas (WAMC)

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.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.