BUFFALO, N.Y. — Melissa DeRosa, one of former Governor Andrew Cuomo's top aides, has a new book that will be released on Tuesday. It's called "What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis."
In it, she mentions Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown was almost catapulted into state government. DiRosa claims Mayor Brown was someone Cuomo wanted to be lieutenant governor. However, she claims during the vetting process, Brown was rumored to be tied to a federal investigation. He was eventually cleared.
In a statement to 2 On Your Side, a spokesperson for the Mayor says "In a few months it will be 2024, an entire decade later. Mayor Brown doesn't go backward, he goes forward."
DeRosa became a well-known figure during the Governor's daily COVID-19 briefings. Her often detailed and razor-sharp answers to questions were often relied upon by the Governor.
DeRosa joined Cuomo’s administration in 2013, eventually becoming one of the governor’s most trusted confidantes. She became his top aide in 2017.
Sher resigned in 2021 after a state attorney general report found the governor had sexually harassed 11 women.