Suddenly propelled to lead New York, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed Wednesday to set a better tone in state government after the sexual harassment scandal that spurred Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation.
"Nobody will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment," Hochul said in her first news briefing after the Democratic governor announced his resignation.
She said there would be no place in her administration for any Cuomo aides who were implicated in unethical behavior by the state attorney general's investigation of his behavior toward women.
Hochul, a 62-year-old Democrat from western New York, is set to become the state's first female governor in two weeks, following a remarkable transition period in which Cuomo has said he will work to ease her into a job that he dominated during his three terms in office.
Hochul has had a political career spanning from a town board to Congress, and as lieutenant governor, she has spent much of her time crisscrossing the state for ribbon-cuttings, announcements and other events. Still, she is unfamiliar to many New Yorkers, and she took the opportunity Wednesday to reintroduce herself and assure them: "I'm ready for this."
"I'm more prepared than anyone could possibly be for this position," Hochul said.
While championing such Cuomo-era accomplishments as laws raising the minimum wage and requiring paid family leave for millions of private-sector workers, Hochul strove to put distance between herself and the governor. She said she didn't spend much time with him and hadn't been aware of any of the alleged improprieties later described in state Attorney General Letitia James' report.
Cuomo announced Tuesday that he would step down rather than face a likely impeachment trial after James, a fellow Democrat, released a report concluding he sexually harassed 11 women. One accused him of groping her breast.
Cuomo, 63, denies that he touched anyone inappropriately and said his instinct was to fight back against claims he felt were unfair or fabricated. But he said that with the state still in a pandemic crisis, it was best for him to step aside so the state's leaders could "get back to governing."
Hochul purposely kept a modest profile as lieutenant governor in a state where Cuomo commanded -- and demanded -- the spotlight.
Hochul shares some of Cuomo's centrist politics but is a stylistic contrast with a governor famous for his love of steamrolling opponents and holding grudges. She's well-liked by colleagues, who say voters shouldn't confuse her quiet approach under Cuomo with a lack of confidence or competence.
"People will soon learn that my style is to listen first, then take decisive action," she said.
Before sharing a ticket with Cuomo, she was a county clerk who opposed the idea of allowing unauthorized immigrants to apply for driver's licenses -- an idea that would become law during Cuomo's administration. Asked Wednesday about what is known as the Green Light Law, Hochul said her position "has now evolved, and that evolution coincides with the evolution of many people" in New York.
"I'm proud of supporting that law," she said.
It remains to be seen how involved Cuomo will be in state government over the next two weeks, or how he'll manage handing over authority -- something he has rarely ceded during his time in office.
His circle of advisers has shrunk, but his closest aide and policymaking partner Melissa DeRosa -- a familiar face at Cuomo's side during his televised coronavirus briefings -- will remain until his departure, after having announced her resignation from the administration Sunday.
For days after James' report came out last week, Cuomo insisted to those close to him that he could weather the storm, but even his closest outside advisers told him it would be impossible.
Cuomo was privately frustrated that few people were willing to defend him publicly and pressed his attorney and remaining advisers to question his accusers' credibility, according to a person with direct knowledge of the governor's final days in office. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the private, sensitive conversations.
Cuomo decided he would resign after DeRosa quit, the person said.
By late Monday night, Cuomo told a small number of his closest advisers that he was planning to resign, the person said. But Cuomo had kept the announcement very close, opting not even to tell other senior Democrats in New York.
Leaders in the state legislature have yet to say whether they plan on dropping an impeachment investigation that has been ongoing since March, and which had been expected to conclude in the coming weeks.
In addition to examining his conduct with women, lawyers hired by the state Assembly had been investigating whether the administration' manipulated data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and whether Cuomo improperly got help from his staff writing a book about the pandemic.
Republicans have urged the Democratic-controlled legislature to go ahead with impeachment, possibly to prevent Cuomo from running for office again.
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Associated Press Writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report
This story has been corrected to remove an erroneous reference to Hochul speaking in the same room where Cuomo had his coronavirus briefings.
Amid new polling indicating most Canadians support boosting Old Age Security benefits by 10 per cent for seniors aged 65 to 74, a former Liberal finance minister and former Bank of Canada governor are warning the government not to pursue the policy change.
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.
WestJet failed to convince a B.C. tribunal that a woman whose flight was delayed for three days spent an "excessive" amount on a hotel room, and the airline has been ordered to pay her full bill.
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A woman who says she worked as a hair-and-makeup stylist for Garth Brooks alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday that he raped her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2019.
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A fire broke out in a building in Old Montreal, prompting a large deployment of firefighters to the area on Friday morning.
The owners of a North York condominium say they are facing a $70,000 special assessment to fix their building's parking garage. '$70,000 is a lot of money. It makes me very nervous and stressed out of nowhere for this huge debt to come in,' said Ligeng Guo.
Most Canadians would prefer that e-scooters and e-bikes require a permit to operate, according to a new Nanos Research survey conducted for Â鶹´«Ã½.
Magna International Inc. says it is conducting a “targeted review†of its records as its founder, Frank Stronach, is facing additional sexual assault charges.
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.
A New Brunswick family is devastated after someone stole a bench from a cemetery.
Iran's supreme leader on Friday praised the country's recent missile strike on Israel and said it was ready to do it again if necessary, state TV reported.
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Melania Trump revealed her support for abortion rights Thursday ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, exposing a stark contrast with her husband, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on the crucial election issue.
More than 180 people were evacuated Thursday from a Ryanair Boeing passenger jet after it caught fire while taxiing to take off at Brindisi Airport in southern Italy.
A Malaysian billionaire hotelier who brought Formula One to Singapore was charged Friday for allegedly obstructing justice and abetting wrongdoings by a former Cabinet minister who was imprisoned a day earlier in a rare graft case.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons and destroy South Korea permanently if provoked, state media reported Friday, after the South’s leader warned that Kim’s regime would collapse if he attempts to use nuclear arms.
Defence Minister Bill Blair says Israel has the right to defend itself in 'a calibrated and proportional way' following Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on Tuesday.
Federal fisheries officers in Nova Scotia say they're refusing some enforcement duties because of threats to their safety, as they await Ottawa's response to their complaints.
Government business has been put on indefinite pause in the House of Commons and the Conservatives say it will stay that way until the Liberals hand over documents related to misspent government dollars.
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What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.
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Uneven population growth across London has shifted the amount of political power residents have in different municipal wards, and Londoners will soon be asked to consider four options for adjusting the 14 ward boundaries
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A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
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