A New York state Democrat lawmaker is reviving the effort to remove the late former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo's name from the bridge that connects Rockland and Westchester counties.
"Everyone in the Hudson Valley still calls the bridge the Tappan Zee for a reason," state Sen. James Skoufis told the New York Post. "It's the rightful name."
The Hudson Valley Democrat is lending his support to the three-year-old effort to restore the bridge's original name by becoming the main sponsor of a bill to rename the crossing that was completed in 2018 to replace the old bridge just to the south.
Skoufis' push comes after two years of Republican efforts that faltered in a Democrat-controlled New York Legislature.
Skoufis hopes to get the bill passed by the state Senate and Assembly before the regular legislative session ends in June. The name change would take effect immediately after being signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"Anytime by June 8 would be great," he said of his projected timetable.
According to Republican Assemblyman John McGowan, who is sponsoring the bill in his chamber, that seems much more likely this year, now that Skoufis has taken up the cause. The Senate Democrat is the first one of his party to support the bill in his chamber.
"The reality is being a Republican and trying to pass legislation is much more difficult than for my colleagues in the majority," McGowan told the Post. "I'll work with anybody, Republican or Democrat. Good ideas are good ideas."
Supporters of the proposal say it's about more than just their preferred moniker for the essential wide transportation span across the Hudson River
Disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo pressured lawmakers into approving the name change as part of a 2017 omnibus bill that was passed in a late-night legislative session, according to the Post.
Republicans received an assortment of concessions, in exchange for the tribute to Cuomo's father, including $10 million that the state Senate was promised to expand the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in the Hudson Valley.
Ever since then, many New Yorkers have been averse to the name change. According to a legislative memo, history is on their side.
"The Dutch settlers that came to the Hudson Valley in the 17th Century named this crossing 'Tappan Zee,' after a local Indian tribe and the Dutch word for sea," the memo reads. "Changing the name to reflect our region's rich history is the appropriate path forward and changing the name back to the Tappan Zee Bridge will do just that."
People connected to Rockland County say "Mario M. Cuomo" doesn't stand a chance of becoming the bridge's preferred name, regardless of what happens with Skoufis' bill.
"Call me an originalist, but, to me, it'll always be the Tappan Zee," Rockland native Sarah Donnelly told the Post.
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