I always enjoy Froma Harrop’s op-ed pieces, but none more than her April 6 essay, “How governor Cuomo filled the void.” Her words echo my takeaway from New York Gov. Cuomo’s daily press briefings on the coronavirus, as he details the grueling battle against this terrible scourge that has ravaged his state and set its sights on the entire nation.

Where there has been an utter lack of leadership — whether defined in moral or political terms — from the president and the nonmedical White House operatives who have his ear, Cuomo has filled that void, becoming his state’s, and America’s, explainer-in-chief, consoler-in-chief, inspirer-in-chief — even, on occasion, scolder-in-chief. It recalls President Franklin Roosevelt’s magnanimity during the depths of the Great Depression when he held regular “fireside chats” to comfort, reassure, and uplift a hurting and frightened nation. In his own daily talks, Andrew Cuomo has channeled and evoked FDR’s message of encouragement. That’s what our president should be doing. He’s not; New York’s governor is.

As the news gets scarier and sadder, however I’m feeling each morning, I make a point to tune in at around 11:30 to what I’ve come to call “The Andrew Cuomo Inspirational Hour.” Thank you, governor!

Anne Carr Bingham

Salem