New York’s pending governor sets Albany a new tone

ALBANY, NY – An Andrew Cuomo press conference is a Darwinian affair, with questions asked by those who shout the loudest. The Governor sits every now and then, smiling, as he watches two reporters try to yell at each other until one, finally, gives in.

Kathy Hochul, at least the first day, had a very different way of doing things.

New York’s lieutenant governor took the stage on Wednesday to introduce himself to the world, 13 days before succeeding Cuomo and becoming one of the nation’s foremost public figures. Calmly, methodically, she called in specific reporters – announcing predetermined names in quick succession as soon as she had finished answering the previous question.

At one point, a brief tech glitch led to the resumption of familiar screams. “It’s not going to work, team,” Hochul said.

The event at the State Capitol could just as easily have been a microcosm of the message Hochul is trying to get across as she takes office and charts the course to win the full governorship. Prepare, she seemed to say, for a no-frills departure from the toxic style of the Cuomo era.

“Although it wasn’t planned, it’s a day I’m prepared for,” Hochul said. “Make no mistake: our work has already started.

The approach of Hochul, who at 62 would become the first woman to rule New York state, was seen by some as an extension of her desire for meticulous organization.

The press conference was, of course, a very different introduction to that given by David Paterson when he became governor following the abrupt departure of Eliot Spitzer in 2008, the end result of the prostitution scandal.

Paterson’s first press conference as the new governor, and his inaugural address a few days later, were most memorable for their lines: “Only the lobbyists! he said when asked if he had ever dated a prostitute, as Spitzer so sadly did.

The day after Paterson was sworn in, he started a press conference with words – “I betrayed a commitment to my wife many years ago” – which aren’t exactly the dreams of public relations professionals. .

Hochul, on the other hand, just had to distance himself from Cuomo, who announced his resignation on Tuesday after being accused of sexually harassing 11 women. The legislator moved to dismiss him.

“At the end of my term, whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment,” she said.

She said she was ready to serve, projecting her confidence and declaring, “I have a vision.”

Hochul, who will be re-elected next year if she wants to keep her post, has previously served in Congress and as clerk for Erie County, where Buffalo is located. After more than nearly 7 years as a lieutenant governor, much of his time is spent traveling the state to witness the type of events Cuomo doesn’t like to happen to himself, some in Albany say that she is ready for the highest office.

“Kathy Hochul is much better prepared than the last lieutenant governor to take on the heavy lifting,” said Peter Kauffmann, who previously worked as Paterson’s director of communications.

Hochul has already been in the limelight. But the introductory press conference was probably his biggest yet. It was held in the Blue Room on the Capitol, across the building from the Red Room, where Cuomo held his nationally recognized Covid briefings last year.

Events she has organized in this room in the past, such as meetings of a women’s suffrage commission that she chaired as lieutenant governor, have often attracted only one or two journalists. . There were at least 17 television cameras present on Wednesday.

But one thing stood out from the events of other New York officials, often seeking national attention: All of the journalists who were called up were based in New York, and many media outlets with a larger audience were ignored.

“Hometown favorite,” she said in asking the Buffalo News the first question.