Cuomo: State shouldn't employ people in unneeded jobs

PHOTOGRAPHER: The Associated Press

New York’s Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo says the state cannot continue to employ people in prisons or other public facilities if their jobs are no longer needed.

Cuomo made his comments today after touring the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, a hospital run by the state’s Office of Mental Health. He visited Sing Sing prison earlier in the day.

Cuomo said the two visits reminded him that he must balance his desire to cut the state budget with the knowledge that the facilities are “literally taking care of human beings.”

But he also reiterated his plan to consolidate some public services, even if it means cutting jobs. He said some prisons in New York are underused and no longer needed but the state continues to employ people to run them.