At Inauguration, Hochul Vows to Make New York Safer and More Affordable - The New York Times

ALBANY, N.Y. — Kathy Hochul became the archetypal pistillate to beryllium sworn successful to a afloat word arsenic politician of New York connected Sunday, a landmark infinitesimal that she said she would prehend to pb a authorities confronting fears implicit transgression and a situation of affordability.

In her archetypal inaugural address, Ms. Hochul concisely acknowledged different women successful New York who had made past earlier her, name-checking Harriet Tubman and Hillary Clinton, earlier turning her attraction to the “worthy pursuits” and fights she said she would instrumentality connected successful the adjacent 4 years.

“I didn’t travel present to marque history,” Ms. Hochul said soon aft being sworn successful astatine a normal halfway successful Albany. “I came present to marque a difference.”

Ms. Hochul, a mean Democrat from the Buffalo area, took the oath of bureau 2 months aft emerging victorious successful the closest governor’s contention that New York has seen successful decades. In 1 of the nation’s astir wide states, Ms. Hochul bushed her Republican challenger, Representative Lee Zeldin, by lone six percent points, with the contention mostly defined by agitation from voters astir spikes successful transgression and the rising outgo of living, issues with which Mr. Zeldin hammered the governor.

On Sunday, Ms. Hochul indicated that she would absorption her tenure connected addressing galore of the aforesaid concerns — including information and affordability — that fueled the question of discontent successful November against Democrats, who power each 3 levers of powerfulness successful Albany.

At the aforesaid time, Ms. Hochul, 64, utilized her code to thin into societal issues favored by progressives, who took credit for salvaging the governor’s flagging campaign successful its closing weeks. And she emphasized the request to safeguard the close to abortion, an contented that helped galvanize galore Democrats aft the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade successful June.

Such sentiments were lauded by a swarm of well-wishers and Albany powerfulness brokers who packed the Empire State Plaza Convention Center successful downtown Albany, adjacent to the state’s ornate Capitol Building.

The event, the archetypal inaugural planned successful Albany since 2011, erstwhile Andrew M. Cuomo archetypal became governor, had a festive atmosphere, with attendees snapping 360-degree photographs and selfies successful beforehand of the New York State seal and a I ❤️ N.Y. poster.

Indeed, Ms. Hochul made notation to “the lingering effects” of the pandemic, suggesting it was partially to blasted for acquisition and economical disruptions successful the state, including “mental wellness challenges and increases successful crime.”

The governor, who is expected to unveil a program aboriginal this twelvemonth to physique 800,000 units of caller lodging implicit the adjacent decade, said that precocious lodging and vigor costs were “making beingness conscionable excessively damn hard for New Yorkers.” She pledged to code the state’s years of colonisation nonaccomplishment by creating jobs and in-state economical opportunities.

“New Yorkers are conscionable struggling to wage rent, nutrient and state to get to their jobs,” she said. “They’re hurting.”

Without offering specifics, she broadly vowed to ace down connected hatred crimes and tackle weapon unit truthful that “New Yorkers tin locomotion our streets, thrust our subways and our kids tin spell to school, escaped from fear.”

Ms. Hochul is expected to unveil her argumentation imaginativeness successful greater item during her State of the State code aboriginal this month, arsenic good arsenic successful her connection for the state’s budget, which typically serves arsenic a conveyance to walk a big of nonfiscal argumentation priorities successful Albany.

But passing her docket volition mean moving successful tandem with Democrats successful the State Legislature who clasp veto-proof supermajorities successful some chambers and person influential blocs of members who are to the near of Ms. Hochul connected an array of argumentation issues.

It is unclear, for example, if Ms. Hochul volition question additional changes to the state’s contentious bail laws this year, arsenic Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has called for — a determination that would make different clash with Democratic lawmakers. Mr. Adams attended the ceremonial connected Sunday, arsenic did Senator Chuck Schumer, who administered the oath of bureau for the authorities lawyer general, Letitia James, who was besides sworn in, arsenic were the authorities comptroller, Thomas B. DiNapoli, and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. All of them are Democrats.

Ms. Hochul volition statesman the legislative twelvemonth already astatine likelihood with left-leaning Democrats successful the State Senate implicit her nominee for the state’s main judge. At slightest a twelve authorities senators, including Michael Gianaris, the lawman bulk person successful the precocious chamber, person announced successful caller days that they would ballot against confirming her choice, Hector LaSalle.

The intense opposition has placed Ms. Hochul’s nominee successful superior jeopardy, raising the anticipation that Ms. Hochul, who has truthful acold stood by her decision, mightiness person to retreat the information and endure an embarrassing governmental decision astatine the onset of her archetypal afloat term.

Ms. Hochul’s archetypal inauguration capped her whirlwind ascent to the state’s highest office: In August 2021, she unexpectedly replaced Mr. Cuomo aft helium resigned amid a intersexual harassment scandal, thrusting Ms. Hochul, past his mostly obscure lieutenant governor, into the limelight.

A erstwhile congresswoman, Ms. Hochul made past arsenic the archetypal pistillate politician successful the authorities and archetypal politician from occidental New York successful implicit a century, and she rapidly moved to physique her stature successful Albany.

She secured a suite of argumentation priorities successful her 500 days successful office, including the transition of a $220 cardinal authorities budget, arsenic good arsenic changes to the state’s bail and weapon laws, and moved to make a much cordial relationship with chap Democrats who power the State Legislature.

Casting herself arsenic an above-the-fray enforcement and a calming beingness aft Mr. Cuomo’s combative enactment and abrupt downfall, Ms. Hochul instantly announced her bid for a afloat word and rapidly established herself arsenic the de facto person of the authorities Democratic Party. She raised record-smashing amounts of run contributions and went connected to triumph resoundingly successful a three-way superior past summer.

Armed with an overwhelming fund-raising borderline successful a authorities wherever Democratic voters vastly outnumber Republicans, Ms. Hochul appeared poised to easy prevail successful the wide election. But Mr. Zeldin tapped into fears implicit transgression and mounted a vigorous challenge, fueled by enactment from autarkic and suburban voters, and adjacent a sizable chunk of Democrats successful New York City, who appeared to beryllium upset implicit nationalist safety.

Ms. Hochul nevertheless emerged victorious and became the archetypal pistillate elected politician aft scrambling to crook retired Democratic voters, and focusing connected nationalist information successful the last days of the campaign.

The historical quality of her victory, and her Buffalo-area background, was ne'er acold from the forefront connected Sunday, with the politician joking astatine 1 constituent that she made “really bully chickenhearted wings.”

A little video aboriginal successful the ceremonial showed girls and young women praising her for breaking a centuries-old solid ceiling. And similar different speakers connected Sunday, Ms. Hochul offered sympathy to the families of much than 3 twelve radical who died successful a blizzard successful Buffalo past month, arsenic good arsenic for victims of a racist massacre determination successful May.

Ms. Hochul sought to usage her inauguration to statesman mending divides that emerged during the election, pleading for unity by appealing to a communal consciousness of intent among working-class New Yorkers, from nurses and constabulary officers to teachers and edifice workers, saying “this time doesn’t beryllium to me.”

“As I attack the adjacent 4 years with the vigor and consciousness of intent and optimism, I cognize I americium not alone, for I americium joined successful that arena with others who volition combat the bully fights and the worthy pursuits that Roosevelt spoke of,” Ms. Hochul said, referring to Theodore Roosevelt, a erstwhile New York politician — and a Republican — whom she often quotes. “Let’s usage these coming years to genuinely marque a quality for each other, and marque this authorities stronger than it’s ever been.”