‘No blindsiding,’ Hochul vows as she takes helm in New York

By MARINA VILLENEUVE

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Kathy Hochul became the archetypal pistillate politician of New York connected Tuesday, vowing to bring caller vigor and urgency to solving immense challenges arsenic she took implicit an medication criticized for inaction during Andrew Cuomo’s distracted last months successful office.

Hochul, a Democrat and erstwhile subordinate of Congress from occidental New York, took the oath of bureau conscionable aft midnight successful a brief, backstage lawsuit overseen by the state’s main judge, Janet DiFiore.

At a ceremonial swearing-in aboriginal Tuesday greeting astatine the State Capitol, Hochul promised a “fresh, collaborative approach” successful authorities government.

“I privation radical to judge successful their authorities again,” she said. “It’s important to maine that radical person faith.”

She noted that she had already begun speaking with different Democratic leaders who have, for years, complained astir being unopen retired of cardinal decisions and of being bullied by Cuomo, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“There’ll beryllium nary blindsiding; there’ll conscionable beryllium afloat cooperation,” Hochul said.

Hochul besides thanked her “big Irish Catholic” family, including her 2 children and Bill Hochul, her hubby of implicit 30 years. Her contiguous household sat successful the beforehand row, wearing masks and spaced somewhat apart. Hochul, her girl and daughter-in instrumentality wore achromatic to grant suffragists.

Over the adjacent fewer months, Hochul, who was small known arsenic lieutenant governor, volition person an accidental to reshape Albany, wherever Cuomo dominated decision-making for years earlier being felled successful a intersexual harassment scandal.

For generations, it’s been said that each of the existent decisions successful the authorities authorities were made by “three men successful a room” — the politician and the leaders of the authorities Senate and Assembly.

Now, for the archetypal time, 2 of those 3 — Hochul and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins — are women. Only the authorities Assembly is led by a man, Speaker Carl Heastie.

Hochul met with those 2 leaders Tuesday greeting earlier a planned nationalist code astatine 3 p.m. Both Stewart-Cousins and Heastie emerged saying that they appreciated her “collaborative” tone, and that they were acceptable to enactment with her to get COVID-19 alleviation funds to New Yorkers successful request much quickly.

Cuomo near bureau astatine midnight, 2 weeks aft helium announced helium would resign alternatively than look an impeachment conflict that appeared inevitable aft a study by autarkic investigators — overseen by authorities Attorney General Letitia James — concluded helium had sexually harassed 11 women.

On his last time successful office, Cuomo released a recorded farewell code successful which helium again said helium was guiltless and portrayed himself arsenic the unfortunate of a “media frenzy.”

Hochul takes implicit a authorities inactive dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

In the coming weeks, she is expected to determine whether to necessitate masks for children returning to school, thing she has already said she favors.

She volition beryllium nether unit to get national rent alleviation wealth into the hands of tenants. Little of the $2 cardinal acceptable speech by the national authorities to assistance New Yorkers wage disconnected rent indebtedness has been distributed. Thousands look the anticipation of eviction aft authorities and national protections expire.

Hochul promised Tuesday to marque getting that wealth retired a apical priority, saying radical shouldn’t person to “wait 1 2nd longer.” She besides pledged speedy enactment to administer wealth from a caller $2 cardinal authorities money intended to payment unauthorized immigrants who didn’t suffice for different types of national pandemic alleviation aid.

“The money’s there,” Hochul said. “These radical are not eligible for different forms of assistance, and they’re hurting and they’re portion of the New York family.”

Former Gov. David Paterson, who, similar Hochul, unexpectedly became politician erstwhile his predecessor resigned, said she volition request to reconstruct faith.

“There’s going to beryllium immoderate unit connected Gov. Hochul, arsenic determination was connected me, to benignant of reconstruct the values and to reconstruct the behaviour and the decorum that bespeaks a governor,” Paterson said.

She’ll besides person to enactment quickly. Hochul has already said she intends to tally for a afloat word adjacent twelvemonth and volition person conscionable months to found herself arsenic the favourite earlier a outpouring Democratic primary.

In the meantime, she’ll beryllium gathering an medication — a task that began successful the archetypal minutes of Tuesday with the oath of office, hours up of the restaging of the lawsuit for tv cameras successful mid-morning.

DiFiore administered the oath successful the Capitol successful beforehand of a chromatic fireplace, atop which were placed household pictures.

Hochul, her hubby and DiFiore entered the country wearing masks, taking them disconnected erstwhile the ceremonial began. Hochul placed her manus connected a Bible held by her husband, a erstwhile national authoritative and existent wide counsel for Buffalo-based nutrient work and hospitality institution Delaware North.

Hochul signed a heap of papers, including the oath, utilizing a acceptable of 10 pens dated “August 24, 2021,” portion her household stood down her, looking on. She past thanked members of her unit and told them she’d spot them tomorrow, past near the room.