Out with the old, in with the new! NY Governor Kathy Hochul moved into executive mansion less than an HOUR after Andrew Cuomo's final possessions were removed
Just a few hours after crews were spotted throwing out the last of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's belongings, Kathy Hochul was seen moving into the executive mansion in Albany with her family.
Hochul, 62, officially took office as the new New York governor on Tuesday, after Cuomo resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal in which the state attorney general found he sexually harassed 11 different women while in office.
In her first address as the governor, Hochul vowed to be transparent and require all state employees to undergo live sexual harassment training, rather than just 'click through' the slides.
A short while later, she was seen moving into the executive mansion with her family - including her two children Katie and Will, Will's wife Christina, as well as Bill Hochul, her husband of over 30 years.
Kathy Hochul was seen stepping out of the car at the Governors' Mansion on Tuesday after taking office
She and her husband of over 30 years, Bill Hochul Jr., unpacked their things as they moved into the mansion
Their family members surrounded their motorcade as they entered the mansion grounds
A number of family members and friends were seen bringing their suitcases into the building
The mansion seems to be quite the upgrade for the new governor, who is leaving behind two waterfront condos in Buffalo.
She and Bill originally purchased a $485,000 two-floor unit in 2013, after selling her longtime family home in Hamburg for $260,000. The 3,000-square-foot condo includes three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, according to the New York Post.
It is made up of the fourth and fifth floors of a condominium building, and includes an expansive living area with a wood burning fireplace, a formal dining room with a wet bar that boasts views of the water and an office.
A two-car garage is reserved for the condo, which also comes with a boat dock.
Hochul also owns the condo next door, which they purchased for $400,000.
Hochul's daughter, Katie, right, and her partner, Matt Gloudeman, brought their suitcases in
Katie is one of Kathy and William' two children. She smiled and waved for the camera as she walked into the mansion
Her son, Will Hochul, and his wife, Christina Hochul, were also seen as his mother moved into the mansion
Friends and family, wearing white to represent the women's suffrage movement, also helped with the move-in
Hochul's husband Bill Hochul, and her son, Will Hochul, checked out the pool area
They later sat on the porch talking to one another hours after moving into the property, whose most recent occupant was Andrew Cuomo
Meanwhile, former Governor Andrew Cuomo had to evacuate the executive mansion at 12am, two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face an impeachment battle that seemed inevitable after a report by independent investigators - overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James - concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women.
Workmen were seen removing a dog bowl and what appeared to be the side of a plastic kennel, with Cuomo oin Monday night denying he'd tried to give away his dog Captain.
It remains unclear where the former governor is moving to - he previously owned a house in Mount Kisco with his longtime girlfriend Sandra Lee, but the couple sold the home after they split up in 2019.
Much of Cuomo's stuff, though, has been relocated to his sister's home in Westchester, according to New York Magazine.
Maria Cuomo-Cole's $3 million mansion that she shares with her husband Kenneth Cole, known as 'Five Chimneys' has an apparent guest house.
Workers were seen Tuesday throwing away a dog house toy and a metal food bowl belonging to Andrew Cuomo's dog, Captain, from the Governors' Mansion
The crews could be seen removing the last of Cuomo's belongings after he vacated the premises at midnight
Much of Cuomo's belongings have been relocated to his sister's mansion in Westchester County, according to New York Magazine
Hochul took office on Tuesday, just moments after the former governor officially left the executive mansion.
In her first address to New York, Governor Hochul outlined her new agenda, while seeming to take a swipe at the former governor.
On her list is: getting kids back to school and enforcing a universal mask policy, giving renters eviction aid, changing the culture of Albany, and making it mandatory to have all government employees attend a live sexual harassment training.
She told the people of New York: 'Today, I am directing an overhaul on state government policies on sexual harassment and ethics. Starting with requiring all training be done live, instead of allowing people to click their way through a class.
'In a new era of transparency - one of my hallmarks of my administration - to me, it's very simple: We will focus on open, ethical governing that New Yorkers will trust.'
She will be directing state entities to review their compliancy with state transparency laws and provide a public report with their findings.
New York's new Governor Kathy Hochul detailed her day one agenda to New Yorkers in her first address on Tuesday. She will be requiring all government employees to participate in a live sexual harassment training course, as well as, enforcing a universal masking policy for schools, aiding renters affected by the pandemic, and changing the culture of Albany
Hochul has stated that she will continue the state's current position on requiring all school personnel to be vaccinated or to be tested weekly in order to get children back to school.
To avoid a 'rerun of last year's horrors of COVID-19,' the new governor will be implementing a universal masking policy after talking to parents, teachers, school superintendents, school boards, and elected officials.
'Priority number one: We get children back to school and protect the environment, so they can learn and everyone is safe.'
She is launching a back-to-school testing program to make COVID-19 testing 'widely available' and 'convenient' for students and teachers to return to school.
She is also working to increase the number of vaccinated New Yorkers.
With the FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Hochul told citizens to 'expect new vaccine requirements' and to 'prepare for booster shots,' but prolonged telling New Yorkers her exact changes for a later date.
She did mention that she will 'do whatever is necessary' to get boosters in the hand of New Yorkers, including reopening mass vaccination sites when the shot is available and is recommending, alongside Dr. Fauci, to get one at eight months.
She will also be aiding renters to avoid evictions and wants the money in the hands of those of need 'now.'
'I am not at all satisfied with the pace this COVID relief is getting out the door,' she said in her address.
'I want the money out now, I want it out with no more excuses and delays.'
In partnership with the City of New York, legislators, and surrounding cities and counties, Hochul is working to 'urgently' get the money into the hands of renters who need it.
She is hiring more staff to process rent relief applications for those who are qualified for it. If approved, renters will be protected from eviction for a year.
New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore swears in Kathy Hochul as the first woman to be New York's governor. Husband Bill Hochul holds a Bible during the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony at the state Capitol
Hochul has said she plans to 'change the culture of Albany' after she took over as governor of New York on Tuesday from Andrew Cuomo, after her predecessor was mired in sexual harassment allegations.
Hochul vowed to bring new energy and urgency to solving immense challenges as she took over an administration criticized for inaction during Andrew Cuomo's distracted final months in office.
Hochul, a Democrat and former member of Congress from western New York, took the oath of office just after midnight in a brief, private event overseen by the state's chief judge, Janet DiFiore, who wore robes the first woman judge on the state court of appeals had worn.
At another, ceremonial swearing-in Tuesday morning at the New York State Capitol, Hochul promised a 'fresh, collaborative approach' in state government.
'I want people to believe in their government again. It's important to me that people have faith,' she said.
Hochul faces questions about how she'll change the culture of governance in New York, following Cuomo's administration that favored force over charm.
She noted that she'd already begun speaking with other Democratic leaders who have, for years, complained about being shut out of key decisions and bullied by Cuomo, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
'There'll be no blindsiding, there'll just be full cooperation,' she said.
In her first remarks to the public as New York Governor, Hochul said ''I want people to believe in their government again'
Hochul also thanked her 'big Irish Catholic' family, including her two children and Bill Hochul, her husband of over 30 years. Her immediate family sat in the front row, wearing masks and spaced slightly apart. Hochul, her daughter and daughter-in law wore white to honor suffragists who fought for voting rights.
Over the next few months, Hochul, who was a little-known figure as lieutenant governor, will have an opportunity to reshape the way power works in Albany, where Cuomo dominated decision-making for years before being felled in a sexual harassment scandal.
For generations, it's been said that all of the real decisions in the state government were made by 'three men in a room,' the governor and the leaders of the state Senate and Assembly.
Now, for the first time in state history, two of those three - Hochul and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins - are women.
She also hired two women to be in the top positions in government.
Karen Persichilli Keogh will be the secretary and Elizabeth Fine will work as counsel to the governor.
Only the state Assembly is led by a man, Speaker Carl Heastie.
Hochul faces questions about how she'll change the culture of governance in New York, following a Cuomo administration that favored force over charm. She wore a white dress to symbolize the suffragists who fought for voting rights to the ceremony
She said she had a 'high priority' of having a 'fully diverse' cabinet as she settles into office to guide her decision-making to help New York.
Hochul was planning to meet with legislative leaders later Tuesday before making a public address at 3pm.
The new governor has been a champion for women for years. In 2006, she partnered with her mother and aunt to start the Kathleen Mary House, a transitional house for domestic violence victims.
She has spoken out about her grandmother being a victim of domestic violence.
As lieutenant governor under Cuomo in 2015, Hochul toured the state stating 'Enough is Enough' concerning sexual assault on college campuses. Her work called for campuses to have a defined set of rules and guidelines on how to handle sexual assault on campus. This included providing amnesty to students who reported assault and expanded student's access to law enforcement.
Cuomo left office at 12am, two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face an impeachment battle that seemed inevitable after a report by independent investigators - overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James - concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women.
When Hochul was asked if she'd pardon the former governor, she said it was too 'premature' to make any decisions yet.
On his final day in office, Cuomo released a pre-recorded farewell address in which he again said he was innocent and portrayed himself as the victim of a 'media frenzy.'
In his farewell remarks, Cuomo struck a defiant tone, saying the attorney general's report that triggered his resignation was designed to be 'a political firecracker on an explosive topic, and it did work.'
'There was a political and media stampede,' he said.
Cuomo also touted himself as a bulwark against his party's left-wing, which he said wants to defund the police and demonize businesses, and boasted of making government effective in his years in office.
He cited his work battling the COVID-19 pandemic, legalizing same-sex marriage and hiking the minimum wage to $15.
'I tried my best to deliver for you,' Cuomo said.
Some critics jumped on Cuomo´s remarks as self-serving.
Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou, a fellow Democrat, tweeted he had a hundred million opportunities to improve as a leader and 'Chose himself every time. Goodbye, Governor Cuomo.'
Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, released a statement saying the governor was exploring his options for his post-gubernatorial life but had 'no interest in running for office again.'
Cuomo's resignation won't end his legal problems.
The ceremonial swearing in on Tuesday was separate to the formal ceremony, which happened in the Red Room at the state Capitol in the early hours of the morning
Kathy Hochul (center) signs swearing in documents, surrounded by her family (from left) Katie Hochul and Matt Gloudeman, Bill Hochul, center, and Will and Christina Hochul
An aide who said Cuomo groped her breast has filed a complaint with the Albany County Sheriff's Office.
Separately, Cuomo was facing a legislative investigation into whether he misled the public about COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes to protect his reputation as a pandemic leader and improperly got help from state employees in writing a book that may net him $5million.
Hochul takes over with the state still dealing with crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
In the coming weeks, she is expected to make decisions about whether to mandate masks for children returning to school - something she's already said she favors.
She will be under pressure to get federal rent relief money into the hands of tenants. Little of the $2 billion set aside by the federal government to help New Yorkers pay off rent debt has been distributed, to date, in the state. Thousands face the possibility of eviction if the state allows protections to expire.
Hochul promised Tuesday to make getting that money out a top priority, saying people shouldn't have to 'wait one second longer' for assistance. She also pledged quick action to get money distributed from a new state fund intended to benefit unauthorized immigrants who didn't qualify for other types of federal pandemic relief aid.
In his farewell remarks, Cuomo struck a defiant tone, saying the attorney general's report that triggered his resignation was designed to be 'a political firecracker'
'The money's there. These people are not eligible for other forms of assistance and they´re hurting and they're part of the New York family,' Hochul said.
Former Gov. David Paterson, who, like Hochul, unexpectedly became governor when his predecessor resigned, said she will need to restore faith in the office.
'There's going to be some pressure on Gov. Hochul, as there was on me, to kind of restore the values and to restore the conduct and the decorum that bespeaks a governor,' Paterson said.
She'll also have to work quickly. Hochul has already said she intends to run for a full term next year, and will have just months to establish herself as the favorite before a spring Democratic primary.
In the meantime, she'll be building an administration - a task that began in the first minutes of Tuesday with the oath of office, hours ahead of the restaging of the event for television cameras in mid-morning.
DiFiore administered the oath in the Capitol in front of a stone fireplace, atop which were placed family pictures.
Hochul, her husband and DiFiore entered the room wearing masks, taking them off when the ceremony began. Hochul placed her hand on a Bible held by her husband, a former federal prosecutor and current general counsel for Buffalo-based food service and hospitality company Delaware North.
Hochul signed a pile of papers - including the oath - using a set of 10 pens dated 'August 24, 2021,' while her family stood behind her looking on. She then thanked individual members of her staff, and told them she´d see them tomorrow before she left the room.
