By Michael Leppert
The Indiana Citizen
June 25, 2025
I spent last weekend in New York, as I try to do once a year, for the primary purpose of seeing the latest hot show or two on Broadway. I’d love to say I am expert at picking the best shows, but the truth is, if a show has gotten my attention in the heartland, it’s a safe bet. “Maybe Happy Ending” first caught my eye with its list of Tony nominations, so I bought the tickets. After my purchase, the show won six, including Best Musical.
While I was in the city, the political ads were relentless on TV and on many of the digital billboards in Times Square. Tuesday was the Democratic primary election for mayor of the city—a contest that lately has, if nothing else, been a source of entertainment for the rest of the country.
This time around, however, the contest is enraging. Former New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, had been leading in the polls but was stunned by democratic socialist Zohran Mamdanito who was leading with 44% of the votes when nearly all of the ballots had been counted. Cuomo is said to be thinking about staying in the mayoral race and running as an independent. Although slim, a victory in the general election would bring him a new job, and as some suggest, redemption.
Cuomo resigned from office in August of 2021, during his third term as governor. The state legislature was preparing to impeach him at the time. New York’s attorney general had released the results of an investigation that found Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 11 women. He had created a work environment “rife with fear and intimidation.”
Where are these women now?
Our culture doesn’t ask this question or consider the answer deeply enough. The public is being asked to forgive or forget how the politician’s abhorrent behavior forever changed their victim’s life trajectories. If we collectively put this question up front, where it belongs, we would be less susceptible to reenlisting for the ridiculous: That these perpetrators are worthy of their victims’ trust or ours ever again.
Cuomo’s career in public service should have ended permanently four years ago. His resignation was the end of his defense and likely provided some level of closure to those he harmed. I doubt the ending was happy for the victims, but that “Maybe Happy Ending” was better than the fantasy that the abhorrent behavior never occurred. Cuomo’s attempt at “redemption” is an exercise in pretending.
New York is doing a lot of that this cycle. Anthony Weiner is attempting a comeback too. Yes, that Anthony Weiner. As reported by the AP, he is, “The guy whose once-promising political career was derailed by sexting scandals and then seemingly ended forever when he was imprisoned for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl.” Now he’s running for a seat on the New York city council.
Where is that 15-year-old girl? How has her life been impacted by this man’s behavior, who is attempting to pick up his political career right where he left off?
The suggestion that either of these men are worthy of the public’s trust again is absurd. The political ads attacking Cuomo address the issue, but not as the primary disqualifier. It is but one item listed among other political differences. That’s the sad part. It’s his victimization of women; his offensive abuse of power and public trust that makes him unfit to serve. The rest of the list is just noise.
I returned home to Indianapolis from the city on Monday night. It was on my mind while on the trip, that we have the same problems here as they do in the Big Apple. Mayor Joe Hogsett is facing a sexual harassment scandal of his own. While many details are different, what is similar is that the environment for at least several employees in Hogsett’s administration would also be described as rife with fear and intimidation.
There has been no atonement. No accountability. There also is no realistic process for impeachment, like Cuomo faced, which encourages Hogsett to simply try and wait out the noise. The recent investigative report by the law firm, Fisher Phillips, that was commissioned by the Indianapolis City-County Council, was damning of the Hogsett culture, though it appears it was designed to say as little as possible.
Hogsett’s wait-it-out strategy is childish. He needs to go just like Cuomo does. And both of them need to stay gone from public service.
There are countless other examples of the patterns. Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill ran for governor after leaving office in disgrace for groping four women. And yes, all of his victims left their positions at the Statehouse.
My favorite song from the musical is “The Way That It Has To Be.” It describes the acceptance of some of life’s certainties. The endings of the political lives of these men should be a certainty. They don’t need to be happy. They aren’t happy for their victims. And no “maybes” for them are needed.
Editor’s note: This column has been updated to reflect the outcome of the New York City mayoral primary.
Michael Leppert is an author, educator and a communication consultant in Indianapolis. He writes about government, politics and culture at MichaelLeppert.com. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Indiana Citizen or any other affiliated organization.
