News : POLITICO New York Playbook: Hochul speaks — Incoming gov sets new tone — Trooper harassed by Cuomo became his driver

Thursday, August 12, 2021

POLITICO New York Playbook: Hochul speaks — Incoming gov sets new tone — Trooper harassed by Cuomo became his driver

Aug 12, 2021

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Téa Kvetenadze

New York's governor-in-waiting Kathy Hochul wasted no time distancing herself from Andrew Cuomo in her first address to the state since Cuomo's resignation. She never really liked that guy that much anyway, she'd like you to know.

"I think it's very clear that the governor and I have not been close, physically or otherwise," the lieutenant governor told the assembled Albany press corps, referencing her famously frenetic road trips. "I've been traveling the state and do not spend much time in his presence."

Despite their lack of closeness, Hochul will surely face questions about whether Cuomo's No. 2 is the best person to lead the state in the long run. She sought to head those off at the pass, saying she knew nothing about the allegations of sexual harassment that ultimately drove him from office. Expect some housecleaning in the executive chamber, particularly for anyone implicated in the attorney general's report documenting Cuomo's alleged misdeeds.

"No one who is named as doing anything unethical in the report will remain in my administration," Hochul said. "No one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment."

The next governor is also not thrilled with the sitting governor's decision to put in two weeks notice, rather than heading for the exits immediately. "It's not what I asked for," Hochul said. But she'll have plenty to do over those two weeks — including picking a lieutenant governor of her own , guessing whose identity will be a popular political parlor game. Hochul suggested, with a knowing grin, that the pick will be made by the time she officially takes office and with the need for geographic and racial diversity in mind.

IT'S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERE'S ANDREW? No public schedule yet.

WHERE'S BILL? Holding a hear press conference at the Office of Emergency Management.

WHERE'S KATHY? Appearing on NBC's Today Show.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It'll be a collaborative approach to getting to the result which is smart for the taxpayers, but also ensures the longevity of the Buffalo Bills. That is a high priority of mine: the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo." — Incoming Gov. Kathy Hochul, on one of her first explicit priorities during a sit down with her hometown paper

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

'Careful what you wish for': Cuomo's collapse may give Hochul an edge in 2022, by POLITICO's Nick Niedzwiadek and Anna Gronewold: The resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo — and ascension of his low-profile lieutenant, Kathy Hochul — could scramble Democratic politics across New York for years to come. Hochul's incumbency, beginning in just 12 days, will dramatically alter the 2022 race for governor, potentially forestalling runs by many rising Democrats who had grown interested in taking out the scandal-scarred Cuomo. Hochul, should she run, will have less than a year to build a record of accomplishments to show off to primary voters, close pathways to prospective rivals within the party, and stand up a campaign apparatus with an eye toward the general election.

But others who had envisioned defeating an accused sexual harasser would instead face a history-making woman. Hochul, 62, hinted at a run Wednesday, leaving open-ended when her term would end during her first public appearance in Albany since Cuomo said he'd step down. She appeared poised to build her own agenda, declaring, "I have a vision." New York Democrats are already starting to pencil Hochul in. "Knowing Kathy Hochul as I know her, I would be as surprised as one could be if she would decide after becoming the governor that she didn't want to keep the job," Jay Jacobs, the state's Democratic party chair and a formerly ardent supporter of Cuomo, said in an interview on Wednesday.

'This isn't going to work': New York's governor-in-waiting sets new tone in Albany, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: An Andrew Cuomo news conference is a Darwinian affair, with questions asked by those who shout the loudest. The governor occasionally sits back, grinning, as he watches two reporters try to out yell each other until one, eventually, relents.

Kathy Hochul, at least on her first day, had a very different way of doing things. New York's lieutenant governor took the stage Wednesday to introduce herself to the world, 13 days before she succeeds Cuomo and becomes one of the country's most prominent public figures. Calmly, methodically, she called on specific reporters — announcing predetermined names in rapid-fire succession as soon as she finished answering the previous question. At one point, a brief technological glitch led to the resumption of the familiar shouting. "This isn't going to work, team," Hochul said. The event in the state Capitol might as well have been a microcosm of the message that Hochul is trying to deliver as she transitions into office and charts a path to winning the governorship in her own right. Prepare, she seemed to be saying, for a no-nonsense departure from the toxic style of the Cuomo era.

"Trooper harassed by Cuomo quickly became his driver," by Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons: "The State Police investigator who said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sexually harassed her had moved up in the ranks of his protective detail quickly, securing a position as the governor's driver in a much shorter timeframe than is normal, according to former senior members of the detail who are familiar with its machinations. Prominent women's rights attorney Gloria Allred issued a statement on behalf of the investigator, who is not being identified by the Times Union, saying she believes Cuomo "did the right thing" when he announced his resignation. 'It definitely was the right thing for him to do politically. This is the legal reckoning and it's also a political reckoning,' Allred said."

— THE NY POST REMINDS: "Gov. Cuomo will be jobless, but has $2M from book earnings coming in." (He's also eligible for a $50,000-a-year state pension.)

— " Stewart-Cousins backs further investigating Cuomo," by Spectrum's Nick Reisman: "Investigations by state lawmakers into the controversies facing Gov. Andrew Cuomo over the last several months should continue, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Tuesday. 'I'm interested, as I'm sure many people are, in knowing what else the governor could be held accountable for and we should be able to get some further indication what else the governor could face in the upcoming days,' Stewart-Cousins said in a Capital Tonight interview. 'The Assembly's investigation was always a bit more far-reaching than the attorney general's investigation,' she said. 'But I want to be clear the attorney general's investigation, the corroborative evidence from these 11 women who were able to stand up was convincing enough for most New Yorkers that the governor should no longer remain in office.'"

— NYT ANALYSIS: "Cuomo Advanced a Feminist Agenda. Was That Just Politics?"

#UpstateAmerica: The butter is back after a brief hiatus. Eight hundred pounds of it arrived and will be made into the State Fair's butter sculpture, the theme of which is "one of the best kept secrets in town."

WHAT CITY HALL'S READING

"Cuomo's bullying style worsened MTA dysfunction, but scored tolling win," by New York Post's Nolan Hicks and Carl Campanile : "He went off the rails. Soon-to-resign Gov. Andrew Cuomo's notorious bullying and micromanagement helped fuel years of dysfunction at the MTA, driving away top managers, causing labor strife and prioritizing high-profile construction projects over running trains. 'It's a great metaphor for his entire tenure — the brutality and the threatening of the underlings — that was what the MTA experienced,' said Norman Brown, an MTA board member, representing the unions for the MetroNorth commuter rail. 'The last few years of demonizing the workforce, it's been tough to justify,' he added. 'Who wants to do business that way.' The agency is currently confronting a major train operator shortage — driven by pandemic-era retirements and a hiring freeze — that's caused thousands of cancellations and left fuming straphangers wasting their sometimes waiting 20 minutes or more for subway trains.

"Eric Adams praises Kathy Hochul as right person for the moment," by New York Post's Julia Marsh : "Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams praised Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul as a 'professional' who will lead the state with a 'steady hand' after Andrew Cuomo leaves office in the wake of multiple scandals. "She's a professional," Adams told reporters Wednesday after an event at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. 'A steady hand is what we need right now when you turn over the state to an individual, you need someone with a steady hand. She has a steady hand, and I believe that she's going to be able to navigate the challenges that we're having and then voters will decide what's going to happen in the future,' Adams said."

"New York Stock Exchange to Require Floor Traders to Get Vaccinated," by Wall Street Journal's Alexander Osipovich: "The New York Stock Exchange will require traders to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to access its historic trading floor, stepping up its measures against the coronavirus amid rising cases of the Delta variant. Traders and other personnel who work on the floor will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 13, unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption, NYSE Chief Operating Officer Michael Blaugrund said in a Wednesday email to the exchange's floor community. Those who are granted medical or religious exemptions will need to be masked and present recent negative Covid-19 tests before accessing the floor, Mr. Blaugrund wrote in the email, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal."

"New York to Roll Out Pioneering Violence Prevention Program That Involves Financial Incentives," by The Trace's Champe Barton: "New York City will spend $1 million to pilot its version of a violence prevention program that provides participants with intensive mentorship and financial incentives for staying out of trouble, according to city officials familiar with the plans. The program, known as Advance Peace, will launch in one precinct in each borough and pair fellows — young people deemed at risk for involvement in gun crime — with formerly incarcerated mentors. In cities that follow the model, fellows get paid a stipend of roughly $1,000 a month for staying in the program, as well as bonuses for meeting agreed-upon life goals like obtaining a driver's license or GED."

"Rep. Ritchie Torres Strikes Deal to Keep Proposed High-Voltage Converter Out of South Bronx's 'Asthma Alley,'" by City Limits' Liz Donovan: "For the past several months, South Bronx residents have been bristling at a proposal that would build a high-voltage converter station in their neighborhood—what the project's leaders say would bring renewable resources to New York City, but which community members felt would mean risking their health in the name of green energy. On Wednesday U.S. House Representative Ritchie Torres, who represents the pollution-plagued Bronx district, announced he had stepped in and negotiated a compromise, getting the project's leaders to agree to build the converter in a non-residential area if it's ultimately approved by the state."

SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

REMAP ROAD MAP

Redistricting sprint begins with major census data drop, by POLITICO's Ally Mutnick and Zach Montellaro: The Census Bureau's long-awaited release of redistricting data Thursday will unleash a torrent of new state political maps in the weeks and months to come, starting with the handful of states pressed against early fall deadlines to enact new district boundaries. Altogether, the maps could tilt control of Congress for the next decade, but they'll come out one by one at first. Strategists from both parties predict that some states will finalize maps as soon as September and that roughly half of the states will set their new lines by the end of the year. The rest will follow in the first few months of 2022.

AROUND NEW YORK

— Central Park's shuttered carousel will reopen in the fall.

— Residents hope upcoming redistricting will increase representation for Richmond Hill and Ozone Park, which are divided among multiple Assembly districts.

— Records show a history of abuse against a 7-year-old girl found dead in the Bronx.

— Some businesses have implemented vaccine requirements ahead of the city's mandate taking effect next week.

— Outdoor air-conditioners at restaurants are now a thing.

— Thousands of bees have been stolen from their Long Island farms.

— The famous Coney Island sand sculpting competition has been called off because of concerns over the Delta variant.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: George Soros is 91 … HuffPost's Dave Jamieson … BuzzFeed's Nidhi Prakash … CNN's Kyle Blaine … Angela Kuefler of Global Strategy Group … CBS' Jericka Duncan … Kelley McCormick … WilmerHale's Bill McLucas … Michael Lame … Mike Holtzman … Jeffrey Kontulis

MEDIAWATCH — "Jenn Suozzo, 'NBC Nightly News' Executive Producer, Expected to Join CNN Plus," by Variety's Brian Steinberg: "Jenn Suozzo, a veteran NBC News producer who has been working as the top producer at 'NBC Nightly News,' will step away from the broadcast and is expected to be the latest high-profile TV-news executive to join CNN's new CNN Plus streaming service, according to a person familiar with the matter. "CNN and NBC News declined to comment on where Suozzo may be headed but the role is expected to be a senior one, according to this person. …

"If a deal is finalized, Suozzo would be the second prominent NBC News staffer to decamp to the CNN streaming outlet, which is slated to debut in early 2022."

— Tracie Potts, a national correspondent for NBC News, will move on later this year after a more than 20-year career with the company to become executive director of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. More

— "New York Times Puts Newsletters Behind Paywall to Boost Subscribers," by Bloomberg's Gerry Smith

— "Ex-Detroit Lions receiver Nate Burleson named new co-host of 'CBS This Morning,'" by Detroit Free Press' Julie Hinds

REAL ESTATE

"Kathy Hochul is upgrading to the governor's mansion from this $485K condo," by New York Post's Mary K. Jacob: "Kathy Hochul is set to be sworn in as New York's next governor in two weeks' time, which means the governor's mansion awaits her. In exchange, Hochul, the current 62-year-old lieutenant governor, will be leaving some properties behind, which includes a $485,000 waterfront condo in Buffalo, The Post can report. Hochul initially bought the two-floor unit in 2013 with her husband, William Hochul Jr., after selling her longtime family home in Hamburg, NY for $260,000, property records show. Photos of the condo, made up of three bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms, do not exactly show the home in the best light, as they appear to be taken at night, with the interior looking a bit outdated. In the span of the eight years since Hochul has owned the residence, the home has seen some renovations, including new Pella doors installed on the patio in 2012. It's unclear if Hochul uses the waterfront home as her main residence."

"City settles two Airbnb rental lawsuits for $1.2 million," by Real Deal's Alexandra White: "Landlords Rose King and Maxine Gilbert don't know each other, but according to their lawyers, they have something in common: ignorance of illegal Airbnb rentals in their buildings. King was orchestrating the rentals, but claims she did not know they were illegal. Gilbert says she didn't know the rentals were going on at all. City officials are dubious of those claims, but point to the bottom line: The city is getting six-figure settlements in each case."

Follow us on Twitter