All eyes are now on New York Governor Kathy Hochul as she looks to chart a new path perpendicular to the previous administration. Sworn in on August 24 by State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, Hochul won’t be receiving the same honeymoon period that many officials typically receive. She ascended to the office at the height of scandal as the previous governor resigned rather than face a tempestuous — and likely disastrous — impeachment proceedings in the State Legislature. She has already started to sever herself from the previous administration in terms of policy, despite having served as its Lieutenant Governor. She recently announced that NYS would be releasing new Covid-19 death information. Then for her first press conference, she stated that the Covid-19 death totals were some 55,400, well above the 43,000 the Cuomo administration maintained. Hochul’s releasing of these new statistics is a part of her promise to New Yorkers of “a new era of transparency.” She is also working to expedite Freedom of Information requests made to the state. According to the New York State Press Association, “State government has been notoriously slow in responding to records requests, with the process sometimes taking months or years.” “If the state does indeed become more responsive, perhaps local governments will follow suit,” the Association noted hopefully. There is also the matter of mask mandates in school settings, which Cuomo’s administration shied away from. Hochul asserted that masks would be mandated this upcoming school year in public and private schools across the Empire State. This has been as polarizing as the issue itself, with parents from across the state either praising or decrying the decision. On the Island, parents in Smithtown, Mt. Sinai and other areas have been protesting the decision with fervor. In the past week, the Locust Valley school board voted to defy such a mandate; this week, they were compelled to reverse their defiance on the advice of their legal counsel (who cited statutory authority for the mandate). But are these changes enough to distinguish her? And are they enough to do it popularly? As the New York Times reported, these changes have been thematic and not foundational. Her plans for the state, often involve expediting a promise made by her predecessor or altering branding. The fact that she was so aligned with Cuomo as his Lieutenant Governor may make creating policy distinctions more difficult. Furthermore, some of what she is doing reflects how Cuomo departed. There will now be more training for sexual harassment and other workplace issues that may erupt in a clear response to how Cuomo resigned. Far from distinguishing her, it reminds people of both Cuomo’s administration and her time in it. As previously reported, this time in the administration has been criticized by Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens). Kim has criticized Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic and is now focusing on other aspects of how Cuomo (and Hochul) governed. There is also her retaining Dr. Howard Zucker the “Covid Czar” of New York State. Keeping him may save an administrative nightmare, but will it be too reminiscent of the past administrations for parents and the governor’s Assembly critics? Calls for Zucker’s resignation or termination have already come from a number of Albany lawmakers. One large distinction Hochul has made was when she tapped State Senator Brian Benjamin (D-Harlem) as her Lieutenant Governor. Hochul, a moderate, wasn’t so far removed from Cuomo ideologically. Senator Benjamin, a progressive, stands to her left and may push her policies in that direction. The choice of Benjamin may have both political and policy implications. Picking him may be an attempt to quell fears of an ugly primary by putting more progressives in the administration, not to mention a nod to demographics given that Attorney General Letitia James was seen as a possible Democratic gubernatorial contender. It might also be a signal, however, that certain policy areas, especially those Benjamin champions, will see a more progressive touch. Benjamin has pushed for so-called criminal justice reforms, including cashless bail and ending qualified immunity for police officers. With Benjamin so close to the helm, it isn’t hard to imagine that this may be the course the Empire State is setting. The presumptive Republican nominee for Governor, Congressman Lee Zeldin, has shared a New York Post article with ten suggestions for the State’s first female Governor. These include ending most pandemic-related limitations, enacting term limits, ending cashless bail, and not extending unemployment further. Given Hochul’s history, what she has already done, and her new Lieutenant, the Governor is already charting a different course. In any case, the new Governor has her work cut out for her trying to manage the pandemic, appeasing the various factions and power bases in her party, and pleasing the public.
