Kathy Hochul Will Become New York’s First Female Governor

By COLlive reporter

“Madam Governor.”

Kathy Hochul is set to become the 57th governor of New York and the state’s first female in that position following the resignation of the embattled Andrew Cuomo which is scheduled for August 24, 2021.

Hochul (pronounced hoe-kool) will be bringing to the role years of experience having served as a lawyer, legislative aide, county clerk, U.S. congresswoman, a bank executive and Cuomo’s Lieutenant Governor since 2015.

A lifelong New Yorker, she was born and raised in a blue-collar Irish Catholic family in Buffalo that instilled a deep passion for public service and activism, her bio reads. She is married to her husband Bill, and they have two children, Will and Katie.

Under New York state law, if the governor is removed, resigns, or dies in office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor and serves the remainder of the elected term, Fox5 notes.

Hochul, who will celebrate her 63rd birthday just days after becoming governor, says she is ready to lead the fourth most populous state in the United States with a population of more than 20 million people.

“I agree with Governor Cuomo’s decision to step down,” she said on Tuesday in response to the announcement by Cuomo of his resignation following accusations of the inappropriate behavior and the harassment of women at his office.

“It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers,” Hochul stated. “As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York State’s 57th Governor.”

In the Jewish community of New York, her rise is seen as a welcome change – regardless of possible disagreements over some of her opinions and policies.

Cuomo and his late father Governor Mario Cuomo had deep connections with key figures in the Jewish establishments, but Andrew Cuomo drew the ire of the community when his harsh regulations targeted Jewish neighborhoods and institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in November 2020 that Cuomo’s limitations on houses of worship can be viewed as targeting the “ultra-Orthodox [Jewish] community,” and violated the First Amendment by treating religious exercise worse than secular activities.

Hochul has visited the Jewish community in Crown Heights a number of times and toured Lubavitch World Headquarters – 770 Eastern Parkway, the Jewish Children’s Museum, the home of activist Devorah Halberstam, offices of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC), and local shops and even homes.

She has met with Rabbi Yosef Braun, member of the Crown Heights Beis Din, addressed students of the Beis Rivkah girls school in Crown Heights, celebrated in the sukkah of long-time activist Chanina Sperlin, lit the World’s Largest Menorah with Rabbi Shmuel Butman, and enjoyed kosher ice cream at Sweet Expressions.

“She felt very comfortable being in our Chassidic community,” recalled Jacob Goldstein, a retired chair of Community Board 9, who accompanied Hochul on one of those visits.

Devorah Halberstam, co-founder and director of External Affairs at the Jewish Children’s Museum, told the Jewish Week she has “known Kathy for a very long time.” The two met at meetings and were once photographed enjoying lunch at the Basil restaurant.

“I have found her to be very personable, in touch with what is going on and very aware of the different communities,” Halberstam said.

Ezra Friedlander, CEO of the Friedlander Group, said about Hochul: “She knows what she’s doing. For many years she has been waiting for this moment to be her own person. She is ambitious and wants to be governor. She has relationships she has built upon. It will be interesting to see if she can parlay that into her own term. … I think she will make a strong push to get elected in her own right.”