Records: Guv flew home with state aircraft

ALBANY -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo used state aircraft for 16 flights to or from his home after statewide tours in which he called for belt-tightening and budget cuts for schools and other services, records show.

Cuomo used state aircraft far less than his predecessors and there is no record of any politicking or fundraising in the trips, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

The records show Cuomo used a state plane and helicopter to return to suburban Westchester County at the end of statewide tours 16 times from when he took office in January through June, the end of his first legislative session. He used aircraft 23 times during the period.

The state aircraft were then flown from Westchester, where Cuomo lives with his girlfriend and Food Network star Sandra Lee, to the capital of Albany to return the aircraft to its hangar as required.

The governor uses the aircraft only for "official events" and that includes Cuomo's trips to his suburban Westchester home, which the Democrat lists as his official address, Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto said Saturday. Lee owns the home, and Cuomo's daughters live there much of the time. Cuomo himself spends far more time at the executive mansion in Albany than other recent governors.

State ethics officials have made it clear in past advisory opinions that state aircraft should not be used essentially for commuting.

On March 22, records show Cuomo, the only passenger besides state police, took the helicopter at 4:30 p.m. to fly from Albany to Westchester. The governor's public schedule listed only a news conference in Albany that day and no public events in Westchester, a two-hour drive from Albany.

The next morning, the records show he flew from Westchester at 9:30 a.m. to Syracuse, then flew at 12:30 p.m. back to Westchester. His March 23 schedule listed the event in Syracuse, part of his statewide budget tour where he called for a state budget "that reins in spending, cuts waste and creates efficiencies."

Like his predecessors, Cuomo spends most Thursdays and Fridays in the New York City office. From Westchester, he appears to have been driven by state police in the state's sport utility vehicles, avoiding a longer drive or another flight from Albany to Manhattan.

"The governor uses the plane in furtherance of state business," Vlasto said. "Every trip is approved by the counsel's office and the secretary to the governor and to the extent Governor Cuomo's use of the plane is noteworthy, it's for its limited use and anyone familiar with the relevant law or practice would know that. It's outrageous that due to an apparent lack of news, The Associated Press has now decided to fabricate stories."

Vlasto refused to discuss the trips back to Westchester, saying there is no "private gain" in the flights to and from his home. "Private gain" is prohibited under the state's ethics advisory on use of state aircraft.