Hochul sworn in, wants New Yorkers to “believe in their government again”

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul says she wants New Yorkers “to believe in their government again.”

“It’s important to me that people have faith. Our strength comes from the faith and confidence of the people who put us in these offices and I take that very seriously,” she said during a brief question-and-answer session with reporters following her Tuesday morning swearing-in ceremony.

Hochul on Tuesday was sworn in as New York’s 57th governor and the first female to hold the job. She is a graduate of Syracuse University.

Hochul, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2015, succeeds Andrew Cuomo who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment from 13 women.

The official swearing occurred just after midnight and the ceremonial event for the Buffalo native happened Tuesday morning in Albany with Hochul’s family in attendance.

In brief remarks following the swearing-in ceremony, Hochul says she spoke with President Biden Monday night, discussing several issues. She thanked him for the support New York received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the clean up from Tropical Storm Henri.

Hochul held her first official address as governor on Tuesday afternoon in which discussed the state’s battle against COVID-19, getting direct aid to New Yorkers more quickly, and “changing the culture of Albany.”

Hochul was inaugurated as New York’s 77th lieutenant governor on Jan. 1, 2015. Hochul was elected with Gov. Cuomo on Nov. 4, 2014.

Prior to her election, the Buffalo native served as a group vice president for strategic relationships at M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB), serving as liaison for community matters and significant economic-development projects, per her biography on the New York State website.

From 2011 to 2013, then U.S. Representative Kathy Hochul served in the House of Representatives for New York’s 26th Congressional District in the Buffalo area. Prior to her time in Congress, Hochul was the highest-ranking female elected official in Erie County while serving as County Clerk from 2007 to 2011. Hochul also served 14 years as a Hamburg Town Councilmember.