In office for a little over six months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has received praise from several groups on major legislation he has passed. However, several Black politicians feel that he comes up short when it comes to reaching communities of color in New York State.

During his campaign for governor, Cuomo laid out his plan to improve life in urban communities in the state. Many can recall the 230-page Urban Agenda he distributed during his campaign that outlined his ideas for improving urban New York State. Many of his harshest critics say that, since he's been in office, Cuomo hasn't even visited Black neighborhoods to get an idea of what the issues are.

Black Democrats, and even many Black Republicans, didn't have much choice when it came to a candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial race after Cuomo's opponent, Carl Paladino, made racist statements over the course of the campaign. Poll numbers from 2010 reveal that Cuomo had a nearly 70 percent approval rating from Blacks, even during his tenure as attorney general.

But since becoming governor, despite huge Black support, he has not been seen in Black neighborhoods. It is all the more painful for many Blacks because his Black predecessor, Gov. David Paterson, lived in a Black neighborhood and was regularly seen around the city.

The AmNews spoke to several Black politicians around the state, asking them for their thoughts on Cuomo's relationship with the Black community thus far and his plans to visit Black neighborhoods.

A spokesperson for Bronx Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson said that if Cuomo has been in her district, she doesn't know about it.

"If the governor has been in the senator's district, she hasn't been notified," the spokesperson said.

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries told the AmNews that Cuomo was in his district in Brooklyn in October 2010 but hasn't returned since. However, with the session in Albany now at a close, he hopes the governor will pay them a visit.

"We haven't seen him in the hood recently," Jeffries said. "The doors are open. I do expect to see him soon. This relationship is a work in progress and many of us certainly hope that he will begin to aggressively address the issues important to the African-American community in the near future."

Brooklyn Assemblyman Karim Camara said Cuomo has not been to his district, nor has he asked the governor to stop by for a visit. He said that while seeing the governor would be a nice gesture for appearances, it all comes down to how he handles policy in urban communities.

"I think, in terms of policy, he articulates well the issues in the African-American community in terms of the urban policy agenda he released during the campaign -- it had a lot of positives," he said. "The test is going to be what happens next in the next budget cycles and continuing to make a campaign to ensure fiscal equity."

State Sen. Bill Perkins of Harlem said Cuomo is spending a lot of time upstate and should now come downstate. Perkins said he couldn't recall if the governor had been to any Black neighborhoods in the state. Perkins said that the key issues that should be important to Cuomo when it comes to the Black community are education and affordable housing.

"Communities of color all across New York City are seeing gentrification and folks are being pushed out of their neighborhoods," Perkins said. "Governor Cuomo should preserve affordable housing for working families and moderate-income New Yorkers. This policy will benefit communities like Harlem, where people are being pushed out by the thousands."

Perkins added that while continuing the dialogue is important, the most significant thing the governor can do is make the lives of African-Americans better in terms of housing, education and employment.