Kathy Hochul makes historical past, sworn in as first lady elected governor of New York

ALBANY — Kathy Hochul paid tribute to New York’s storied historical past and shared an optimistic imaginative and prescient of its future Sunday as she started a full four-year time period as the primary lady elected governor of the Empire State.

The Buffalo native, sporting suffragette white, centered on public security, affordability and equality as she was sworn in throughout an inaugural celebration steps from the State Capitol.

“My confidence in our future is steeped in our superb previous,” Hochul advised a crowd of greater than 2,000 attendees on the Empire State Plaza Conference Middle. “Within the face of unprecedented adversity, we all the time persist, we persevere, we prevail.”

The governor averted laying out particular coverage proposals, which she mentioned might be unveiled throughout her State of the State handle later this month, and as a substitute centered on New York’s function within the historic fights for civil rights and ladies’s suffrage as she vowed to honor the state’s legacy.

“Today belongs to the ladies, the younger ladies who will develop up understanding that from this present day ahead there aren’t any actual limitations they’ll’t overcome,” Hochul mentioned after being sworn in by New York State NAACP president Hazel Dukes.

The governor did contact on some priorities her administration will goal within the upcoming legislative session and past throughout her 30-minute inaugural handle.

Hochul vowed to deal with public security, inhabitants loss, and affordability, with a deal with communities of colour and equality, as she struck a hopeful tone and referred to as for unity.

“Our individuals are hurting,” the governor mentioned. “We should reverse the developments of individuals leaving our state searching for decrease prices and alternatives elsewhere.

“We are going to combat the great fights. To my very core, I consider there’s nothing we will’t accomplish collectively,” she added.

A Democrat, Hochul narrowly defeated Republican challenger Lee Zeldin in November to safe a full four-year time period in workplace after being elevated to the place simply shy of a 12 months and a half in the past.

Hochul changed Andrew Cuomo after he resigned underneath stress within the wake of a number of sexual harassment claims. She beforehand served almost seven years as Cuomo’s lieutenant governor.

Whereas serving out the remaining 16 months of Cuomo’s third time period and competing in a tighter-than-expected race in opposition to Zeldin, Hochul has already carved out a legacy partially solid by a number of tragedies and challenges throughout her tenure.

Final spring, she pushed and handed extra stringent gun legal guidelines within the wake of a horrific race-fueled Buffalo taking pictures that left 10 Black customers lifeless.

On the similar time, she took steps to safeguard abortion entry in New York in gentle of the Supreme Court docket’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and navigated a combative price range course of that resulted in elevated little one care funding, increase the state’s wet day reserves and amending the state’s controversial cashless bail legal guidelines.

Hochul took over the reins of presidency mid-pandemic and needed to deal with outbreaks of mpox, a polio scare and waves of coronavirus infections throughout her first months in workplace.

A one-term congresswoman and former county clerk earlier than being elected lieutenant governor in 2014, the 64-year-old additionally applied reforms to sexual harassment and ethics coaching procedures and insurance policies for state staff in Cuomo’s wake, and vowed upon changing into governor to assist individuals “consider of their authorities once more.”

Her means to perform that lofty objective was questioned when her preliminary choose for lieutenant governor was indicted on corruption costs early final 12 months.

Brian Benjamin resigned as Hochul’s second in command final April following his arrest on federal bribery and wire fraud costs linked to his time as a state senator. Hochul claimed to have been blindsided by the scandal and blamed a botched vetting course of.

Hochul’s first full time period begins along with her relationship with fellow Dems within the Legislature already strained after a big variety of senators vowed to vote in opposition to her nomination of Hector LaSalle to steer the state’s highest courtroom.

Opponents, together with politically-powerful labor unions, have pushed again on the concept of LaSalle serving as chief choose of the Court docket of Appeals, arguing he’ll additional the bench’s conservative bent.

Throughout her handle, the governor acknowledged the latest blizzard that left 39 lifeless in western New York and thanked the primary responders for his or her work in the course of the storm.

The governor additionally touched on her personal historical past rising up close to Buffalo. One among six siblings, Hochul graduated from Syracuse College and earned her legislation diploma from Catholic College of America in 1983.

She served 14 years on the Hamburg city board, a suburb of the Queen Metropolis, earlier than changing into county clerk in Erie County and successful a particular election for an empty seat in Congress in 2011.

Throughout her swearing-in, Hochul was joined by her husband William Hochul, an lawyer who served as U.S. lawyer for the Western District of New York. The couple’s two grownup youngsters and granddaughter joined them on stage in the course of the ceremony.

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, Legal professional Normal Letitia James and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli additionally took the oath of workplace Sunday afternoon.