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CityAndStateNY.com
October 11, 2021
“Osama bin Laden is probably more popular in Suffolk County than Bill de Blasio.” Just like that, she cleared out the old administration and appointed a new one. Now, can Hochul make the honeymoon phase last?
THE FIRST 45
Gov. Kathy Hochul has officially been in office for 45 days, the unofficial deadline she gave to herself to get her administration set up – and to rid it of holdover loyalists to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Since Cuomo resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal, Hochul has had a fairly eventful early start to her tenure, beginning first with the remnants of a hurricane
that brought with it deadly flooding. She has sought to differentiate herself from her predecessor first and foremost in tone, putting an emphasis on cooperation with the state Legislature. In more concrete measures, Hochul implemented a statewide vaccine mandate for various health care workers, and though it’s still being fought in court, vaccination rates have gone up ahead of enforcement. She also got
– Rich Schaffer, the chair of the county’s Democratic committee, via The New York Times
the ball rolling on issues that stalled under Cuomo, including getting rent relief money out the door and appointing members of the Cannabis Control Board. And she did get rid of many Cuomo cronies – although not quite all of them. Perhaps most notably, Hochul retained state Budget Director Robert Mujica, a key member of Cuomo’s inner circle who is recognized by members of both parties as a budgetary
ICON DEFACED Statues of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rep. John Lewis were unveiled in Union Square on Oct. 1, but not two days later, the display was vandalized. Gray paint was thrown on the bust of Floyd. This summer, the Floyd statue was also defaced when it was on display in Brooklyn. “It just goes to show you how far we still have to go to reach our goal of unity,” George’s brother Terrence Floyd said in a statement.
“I understand that he has a lot of time on his hands. But I was hoping that time would be spent in introspection, frankly.” – state Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins, on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo writing that the state is in a “dangerous moment,” via State of Politics
ENDORSEMENTS ROLL IN FOR HOCHUL
The new governor also enjoyed some new – albeit controversial – support for her reelection. Last week kicked off with an announcement from state Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs that he is endorsing Hochul. He emphasized that the endorsement did not reflect the will of the state party, but simply his own personal belief that she is the best candidate. Still, many regarded the announcement as an inappropriate decision and believed that he should remain unbiased through the primary process. Jacobs has made it no secret that he has been trying to discourage other candidates from running to prevent party disunity and turmoil that could result from a contentious primary. But a call to Cuomo before the endorsement was perhaps the most controversial part of the announcement. A close ally of the governor prior to his resignation, Jacobs said he called Cuomo as a “courtesy” to give him a “heads-up” about what was coming. The revelation led some, including women who accused the ex-governor of sexual harassment, to say that Hochul should
KEVIN P. COUGHLIN/OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR; EMILY ASSIRAN; NY SENATE MEDIA SERVICES; MICHAEL APPLETON/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE
expert and a professional. Progressives met the decision with wariness, one of a handful of indicators that the good feelings may not last past January.
