Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering playing peacemaker in the bitter rift between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and city police – even though the help could steal the mayor's thunder as he tries to fix the division on his own.
"He's not going to do something purposely to jam Bill, but if he sees a path that's productive without waiting for Bill's approval, he would do it," a source told
The Wall Street Journal.
"But first he'd make a real effort to work with Bill, who's a friend, to work it out."
The Journal reports that aides for both politicians have been in touch since the mayor-police feud worsened in the wake of the
Dec. 20 ambush of two officers by a gunman who then killed himself.
Costas Panagopoulos, professor of political science at Fordham University, told The Journal that Cuomo's potential involvement is risky.
"It doesn't look good when someone else has to swoop in and rescue you from your political trouble," he told the newspaper. "It doesn't speak highly of your leadership and governing abilities or your capacity to resolve disputes with the key city agencies."
Cuomo also risks making a "strategic miscalculation" if he can't come through, he added.
The mayor doesn't seemed thrilled either. His spokesman, Phil Walzak, told The Journal that de Blasio "believes an outside intermediary is not necessary."
The Journal reported there was no comment from the governor.
The contentious feud has police union officials and mayoral critics accusing de Blasio of setting the stage for an
anti-police atmosphere by his alliance with frequent police critic Al Sharpton as well as his remarks about coaching his biracial son to be careful in any potential police encounter.
Things have grown more tense recently, with police staging a slowdown in issuing tickets and arrests, though Commissioner
William Bratton says police activity is picking up again.
De Blasio, meanwhile, says he's pressing ahead to fix the rift.
"We're going to keep talking to the union leaders, we're going to keep talking to everyday cops, and we're going to keep working for understanding," he said, The Journal reports.
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