Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday she spoke with Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams on her first day in office about getting money to renters and landlords who have been desperately waiting on it, a move signaling her intentions to secure a working relationship with top New York City officials.
The conversation with Adams occurred on her first day in office, following her inauguration as the state’s first female governor. She takes over for Andrew Cuomo, who often butt heads with Mayor Bill de Blasio. Cuomo resigned after a scathing report substantiated sexual harassment claims by multiple women.
On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Hochul said President Joe Biden, senators and the House delegation have worked hard to offer federal rental assistance to the state, but that “the money has not been distributed in a way that I’m satisfied with, so we talked about ways we can work together, even now.”
Among her first moves in office was cleaning house of those involved in fostering a work culture that she said allowed for sexual misconduct and toxicity.
“The individuals who were named in the [attorney general] report are no longer a part of this administration,” Hochul said. “I walk the walk. I was just saying — it’s over. None of this is going to be accepted.”
Hochul's office is undertaking a more extensive 45-day review of other administration personnel that may also consider those who were involved in decisions surrounding nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I need to continue working to identify individuals involved in those decisions," Hochul told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday morning.
A civil investigation by the Department of Justice into nursing home policies that led to COVID-positive patients being discharged into long-term care facilities in New York has ended. But a criminal probe by the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn is reportedly assessing how the former Cuomo administration reported nursing home fatalities during the first 10 months of the pandemic.
Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing, and has insisted the investigations into the controversy were politically motivated.
Several aides and a cabinet member named in the report released this month by Attorney General Letitia James' office -- including Melissa DeRosa, Rich Azzopardi and former Financial Services Superintendent Linda Lacewell -- no longer work for the state.
Hochul reiterated her position for a fresh start during an appearance Wednesday on "CBS This Morning," saying her administration will have "no tolerance for anyone who abuses their positions."