BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

The United States government is built on a system of checks and balances, where different branches of lawmakers keep power from being concentrated. But sometimes lawmakers are able to leverage a crisis to offset the scales and that’s a concern for state Assemblyman Mark Walcyzk, R-Watertown.

Over the past few months, Walczyk's “Kick the Crown” campaign has gained steam as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo faces backlash for withholding information regarding nursing home deaths during the early days of the pandemic.

Walczyk, who represents the northern half of St. Lawrence County including Potsdam and Canton, says he thinks Cuomo could be impeached in the wake of ongoing investigations. The investigations have expanded since his interview to include a look into allegations of sexual harassment.

That’s something his fellow GOP members of the state legislator are rallying behind and more Democrats are joining the call.

At the time of a February interview, Walczyk said more information was needed before any impeachment action were to take place and it appears now that such  investigations will take place.

Walczyk said that while the recent events will likely help achieve the goal of limiting Cuomo's emergency powers, his aim was always higher than reigning in the power of one person. He says “Kick the Crown” is essentially a call to solidify the checks and balances included in the United States of America’s governing doctrine.

He says it's about reinforcing the people’s relationship with their government and acknowledging the democratic principles.

Walczyk said the campaign is rooted in the imagery from the New York State seal, which depicts the crown of King George III laying at the feet of Lady Liberty. He said that imagery conveys the dangers of concentrated power.

Walcxyk says that while not a monarch, he believes the governor over the past year has attempted to act like one in some cases. 

The governor has come under fire for using his power to control the flow of information, especially regarding fatalities at nursing homes in New York.

Walczyk was quick to point out that Cuomo may have made an honest mistake regarding his handling of nursing homes in the early days of the pandemic and said that Assembly oversight wouldn’t have likely prevented the tragic series of events that claimed thousands of lives.

He said sometimes tough decisions have to be made and it’s easy to look back without context and say how something should have been handled differently.

However, he said where Cuomo has truly erred is how he lied and covered up his mistakes rather than owning up to them and worked to bury the truth.

Walczyk said he believes Cuomo is serving his last term as governor and says he expects that if the governor avoids impeachment, he’ll be voted out of office at the next election.

Why? Because he says Cuomo has failed to own up to his actions and while people may forgive mistakes, they don’t like being deceived.

He said Cuomo should have taken responsibility rather than make excuses and should not have attempted to control public information to save his own skin.

Since the interview, the situation for the governor has grown worse. Cuomo is now being accused of sexually harassing staff members and is facing calls from federal Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer for more investigations into the allegations.

Walczyk says too much concentrated power leads to bad things and while he did vote in support of extending the governor's emergency powers, he said it’s long past time to rescind them.

Walczyk says the governor has acted well beyond what he thinks was necessary in his continued micromanagement of the state during the pandemic. 

While the merits of the governor’s orders can be debated based on individual beliefs, it’s true that schools, businesses, religious organizations and health officials have been subject to an ever-changing slate of executive orders that seem to change as fast as they are announced.

Walczyk said he believes there is a role for an executive and that the powers are designed to be able to cut through some red tape, but they should also be limited and kept in check.

 He said the U.S. grew from a rebellion against a monarch and New Yorkers should work to ensure that one person isn’t granted too much power.

For those interested, Walczyk has created kickthecrown.com, which includes merchandise depicting Lady Liberty kicking a crown as well as a petition calling on Cuomo to give up his emergency powers.

“If you've had enough of the ‘kingly rule’ of New York's Governor Cuomo and you want to restore representative democracy, add your name below,” the website says. “It's high time we ‘Kick the Crown’ and join together to oppose the executive powers the Governor abused since March of 2020. Co-equal branches of government provide checks and balances so that no one person or one branch gains too much power and ultimately, the people of this great state are all represented. Sign here to add your name and send a strong message to state leaders demanding the Governor take the crown off.” 

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