NY Gov. Hochul’s first year in office marked by several accomplishments, some missteps
ALBANY — Gov. Hochul made history when she took the reins of the Empire State one year ago, stepping up mid-pandemic to become the first woman to serve as governor of New York.
In the 12 months since replacing Andrew Cuomo, who resigned facing certain impeachment and sexual harassment allegations on Aug. 24 last year, Hochul has sought to forge her own path and distance herself from her scandal-scarred predecessor while also mounting a run for a full term in office.
Hochul has made her mark with a host of accomplishments, as well as missteps, and been met with both praise and criticism during her tenure leading the state through continued COVID outbreaks, a horrific mass shooting, high inflation and upticks in crime, and other crises.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference at the Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan, June 9, 2022. (Shawn Inglima/)
Veteran political strategist Hank Sheinkopf said despite the ups and downs, Hochul has emerged as a stabilizing presence in Albany after largely being sidelined for years as Cuomo’s second-in-command.
“She was largely unknown walking into a scandal, in a time of crisis, and hasn’t stopped working since the day she became governor,” Sheinkopf told the Daily News. “What Hochul provides by showing up and incessantly working ... is a sense that things are stable and she is able to fend off attacks by not getting into the ring with people.”
Front page for Aug. 12, 2021: First things first: Hochul vows to sweep Andy's enablers out of Albandy. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul Wednesday put key aides to Gov. Cuomo on notice.
Supporters say there is plenty of substance behind the change in governing style, pointing to a string of legislative wins and policy initiatives implemented since Hochul took office.
The Buffalo native has pushed and passed more stringent gun laws in the wake of a horrific race-fueled Buffalo shooting that left 10 Black shoppers dead, taken steps to safeguard abortion access in New York in light of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, and navigated a combative budget process that increased child care funding and amended the state’s controversial cashless bail system.
Hochul, a one-term congresswoman and former county clerk before being elected lieutenant governor in 2014, also implemented reforms to sexual harassment and ethics training procedures and policies for state employees in Cuomo’s wake and vowed upon becoming governor to help people “believe in their government again.”
In the wake of the worst of the pandemic, New York also created a scholarship program designed to recruit and train nurses and is offering cash bonuses to health care workers under Hochul’s direction.
The governor also scaled back the state’s plan to redevelop Penn Station and the block surrounding the notorious transit hub.
However, the governor has taken heat as her campaign coffers overflowed with contributions from deep-pocketed donors linked to companies with business before the state, and her initial pick for lieutenant governor was indicted on corruption charges.
Brian Benjamin resigned in April following his arrest on federal bribery and wire fraud charges linked to his time as a state senator. Hochul claimed to have been blindsided by the scandal and blamed a botched vetting process.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, and then-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin appear at an event in Harlem, Aug. 26, 2021. (Barry Williams/)
Hochul convinced reluctant lawmakers in the Dem-controlled Legislature to help remove Benjamin from June’s primary ballot, clearing a path for newly named Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado to appear, just weeks after a contentious budget battle played out.
The road to the state’s $220 billion spending plan was a bumpy one as Hochul sought, and eventually secured, changes to New York’s bail system and $850 million in taxpayer subsidies for a new Buffalo Bills stadium.
Both points drew pushback and prolonged negotiations. But in the end, a deal was reached and the budget featured popular policy initiatives including a gas tax suspension, the permanent expansion of to-go cocktails, the fast-tracking of downstate casino licenses and billions for child care.
Baruch political science professor Doug Muzzio said while Hochul has scored a series of wins, criticism over the stadium subsidies and the Benjamin scandal may haunt her going forward.
“I think most people remember the Buffalo Bills and the lieutenant governor and that may be a problem,” he said. “She can trumpet certain accomplishments but there’s nothing outstanding in my mind.”
Hochul has also faced accusations that she slow-walked a long-awaited review of New York’s COVID response and criticism from conservatives over her extension of emergency pandemic powers.
Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) said despite budget hiccups Hochul’s personality and approach to government have helped her in part to usher in a new era of political comradery in the Democrat-controlled Capitol.
“One of the most notable differences to me in this first year of Hochul as governor is just the sheer difference in demeanor towards other people from her predecessor, it’s been a great shift,” Ramos said. “I can clearly see that Gov. Hochul actually likes other people.”
Ramos commended Hochul’s work on health care, climate jobs and labor issues but noted concerns about public money being used for the Buffalo stadium and Hochul’s moderate stance on bail and criminal justice reforms.
“Knowing, as a New Yorker, that Buffalo is a city with one of the highest child poverty rates in the state ... I don’t know that that was the best use of our dollars,” she said. “I have not appreciated when she piles on to the fear-mongering, using bad faith bail reform.”
Feb. 25, 2015 photo shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul during a cabinet meeting at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Mike Groll/)
Bail remains a flashpoint in New York politics as Mayor Adams echoes Republicans in advocating for giving judges more discretion to hold defendants pre-trial. Hochul has stood by the changes included in the budget that expanded the list of bail-eligible crimes and made it so judges have more authority to set bail when dealing with repeat offenders.
Despite their differing opinions on the subject, Hochul and Adams have maintained a friendly working relationship, a sea change from the antagonistic squabbling that Cuomo and former mayor Bill de Blasio engaged in.Sheinkopf said Hochul’s years as lieutenant governor spent crisscrossing the state at a feverish pace for economic events and ribbon-cuttings, served as a template for her current approach to running the Empire State.
“In order for her to be successful, from day one she had to keep in motion without taking a rest,” Sheinkopf said. “The woman is tireless, she’s everyplace. She’s entirely visible all the time.”
While handling the day-to-day aspects of the demanding job, Hochul has mounted a bid for a full term in office amid concerns about crime, cost of living and other issues plaguing the state.
Hochul also endured persistent speculation that her predecessor was preparing to put down his fishing pole and run for his old seat.
Governor Kathy Hochul updates New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19 on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Don Pollard/)
Cuomo, who has repeatedly denied engaging in inappropriate behavior, ultimately decided not to reenter politics for the time being. Still, he personally fed the rumor mill by running ads claiming exoneration due to a lack of criminal charges against him and making campaign-style appearances at city churches.
Hochul, meanwhile, amassed a mighty campaign war chest, pulling in more than $34 million in contributions, and sailed to victory in June’s Democratic primary.
She now finds herself facing a Nov. 8 general election contest against a Trump-loving Republican congressman from Long Island who has made bail and rising crime the central themes of his campaign. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) is hoping to defy the odds in deep blue New York and become the first GOP governor in two decades.
Recent polling shows Hochul holds a double-digit edge over Zeldin in the governor’s race as the election approaches but she has struggled in the suburbs of New York City, which Muzzio said could pose an issue.
“If Long Island goes Republican heavily, it could be a closer race than anybody expects,” he said.
Still, it’s Hochul’s race to lose given that Democrats outnumber Republican voters by a nearly 2-to-1 margin and the governor has the advantages of incumbency and a deep pool of donors backing her campaign.
“You have to believe that Hochul has the advantage, she has a money advantage, she’s got a name recognition advantage,” Muzzio said. “She, masterfully, has campaigned in a lot of New York State ... so that’s going to work in her favor.”
