New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are trying to elbow their way into bigger roles in the city’s 10-year anniversary commemoration of 9/11, an event traditionally controlled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Cuomo is quietly trying to push for more control over his role in the ceremony, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
For the past decade, Bloomberg has commanded the entire event. He gives brief remarks at the opening and closing of the ceremony and asks the crowd to join in moments of silence.
Governors are relegated to reading a few lines of poetry.
Bloomberg said recently that the program for the ceremony has been finalized and that Cuomo is “going to read something, which we preselect.”
But a spokesperson for the governor said Cuomo’s role was still undecided, according to the Journal. It is possible the governor will even address the thousands expected to attend at Ground Zero. For the past decade, politicians have been barred from giving speeches in an attempt to keep the service apolitical.
