What are the biggest challenges Kathy Hochul faces as Governor of New York? – Telemundo New York (47)

NEW YORK – New York will see a cleanup of the House of Government with its impending change of leadership, future state Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday.

She also touched, tentatively, on the rapidly escalating debate about COVID and schools, saying that while she is not a governor yet, it is her “opinion” that everyone in schools, students and staff alike, should wear masks. .

“My opinion is that … people, children and everyone in a school setting, will wear masks. That is just an opinion at this time, I do not have the authority to make that the policy.

“I think they will end up being mask mandates, I just don’t have the authority right now.”

Hochul, in his first television interview since Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday he would resign, told the TODAY Show that he would not tolerate the type of conduct that had allegedly occurred in Cuomo’s office.

“The first steps will be to ensure that anyone who is mentioned in the report published by the attorney general and who is involved in some kind of unethical behavior, is no longer part of this administration. They leave from day one,” he said. “We are going to follow the law. I mean, the law prohibits the kind of behavior that took place here, and I want to make sure there is a message that says’ I’m tough. I’m not going to put up with anything that crosses the line or even gets close to it. “

The interview came the day after a press conference in Albany, where the current Lieutenant Governor promised New Yorkers that she will fiercely fight for New Yorkers every day.

Hochul, a Western Empire State Democrat unknown to many even after six years as lieutenant governor, will become the state’s first female governor on Aug. 24, following a notable transition period in which Cuomo has said she will stay and work. to facilitate their entry. a job he dominated during his three terms in office.

(Amid reports that the two haven’t even spoken in six months, Hochul acknowledged Wednesday that he hasn’t had an especially close relationship with his two-time running mate.)

The 62-year-old said she spoke to Cuomo the day she resigned and he pledged his full support for a smooth transition. Hochul reiterated comments she made a day ago, calling Cuomo’s resignation “appropriate and in the best interest of the state. While not expected, it is a day that I am prepared for,” she said.

She added Thursday that she “fully hopes” to run for a full term as governor next year.

Right now, however, Hochul is trying to focus on the admitted challenges ahead and to reintroduce New Yorkers to the woman most have not known as well as a politician. Her opening remarks began with humor: “There seems to be an audio problem. What a great start,” and quickly got to the point, giving New Yorkers an insight into the woman who will help lead the charge from the COVID pandemic and left behind. the scandal-ridden term of its predecessor.

“People will soon learn that my style is to listen first, then take decisive action,” Hochul said, noting that he planned to address the public again after his inauguration in 13 days to “set out my vision for the great state of New York.”

She acknowledged that she has more than a few challenges awaiting her, including fighting the COVID pandemic and the latest wave of delta variants, appeasing anxious parents, students, and teachers who are concerned about returning to school next month, and reassuring small businesses that can and will come. back.

Over the next several weeks, Hochul said he wanted to spend time strengthening his senior staff, working with partners to come up with new solutions to current problems, and traveling across the state to meet New Yorkers and “assure them that I support them.”

On COVID-19, Hochul said that he believes that the way out of the pandemic, vaccination, in his words, has been clear for some time. She plans to work with low-vaccination-rate communities to boost protection across the state. In the meantime, Cuomo will continue to make those related decisions for the next 13 days.

After that, “all options are on the table, and I will discuss the trends with healthcare and the CDC,” Hochul said. “The answer is simple – more vaccines – and we will focus on making it more available.”

Cuomo, 63, announced Tuesday that he would resign rather than face probable impeachment on allegations that he sexually harassed at least 11 women, including one who criminally accused him of touching her breast.

The three-term Democrat has continued to deny that he touched someone inappropriately, saying his instinct was to fight claims he deemed unfair or fabricated. But he said that with the state still in a pandemic crisis, it was best that he step aside so that state leaders could “go back to rule.”

That job will soon fall to Hochul, who briefly served in Congress representing a Buffalo-area district but deliberately maintained a modest profile as a lieutenant governor in a state where Cuomo commanded – and demanded – the limelight.

The married mother of two is beloved by her colleagues who say voters should not mistake her calm approach under Cuomo for a lack of confidence or competence.

“Lieutenant. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be an extraordinary governor, ”Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another veteran upstate politician, told reporters on the US Capitol Tuesday. “She understands the complexities and needs of our state as she has been a congressman and lieutenant governor for the past several years.”

It remains to be seen how involved Cuomo will be in state government for the next two weeks, or how he will handle the handover of authority, something he rarely did during his time in office.

Leaders of the state legislature have yet to make a firm decision on whether they plan to abandon an impeachment investigation that has been ongoing since March and was expected to accelerate in the coming weeks.

Republicans have urged the Democratic-controlled legislature to go ahead with impeachment, possibly to prevent Cuomo from running again for office. One of the top Democratic senators says she “would like” to see the investigation move forward. It is not yet clear if that will happen. If it did, it would probably take a long time.

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