Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed Wednesday to “professionalize” the boards that control the MTA and other state agencies — and said she would be demanding the resignations of unqualified cronies appointed by her disgraced predecessor.
During a news conference at her Manhattan office, Hochul said she wanted “a diverse group of individuals to represent all New Yorkers, especially people who are the ones who are the consumers of our transportation services, whether it’s airplanes, trains, subways, buses.”
“There’s some vacancies occurring or I’ll be seeking some vacancies where there are different reasons on why they’re on those boards. And I’ll leave it at that,” she said.
“What I’m going to do is professionalize these boards.”
Hochul didn’t identify any board members by name but distanced herself from Larry Schwartz, a former top aide to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when The Post asked whether she would leave him on the MTA board.
“Larry Schwartz is not part of my administration,” she said.
Hochul didn’t elaborate and it was unclear whether she planned to oust Schwartz, who’s under fire for his work as Cuomo’s COVID-19 “vaccine czar,” during which time he called various county executives to gauge their support for the governor amid the sexual harassment scandal that led to his resignation last month.
Hochul has vowed to fire all the state officials who were implicated in Attorney General Letitia James’ devastating report on the allegations against Cuomo.
Schwartz, who’s mentioned 29 times in that report, last month told The Post, “I’ll do whatever the new administration wants.”
He declined to comment on Hochul’s Wednesday remarks.
Also during her news conference, Hochul said she had “confidence” in Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and planned to leave the “leadership” there intact.
Hochul also said she was “very familiar” with the major construction plans championed by Cuomo, including an “Air Train” to LaGuardia Airport and redevelopment around Manhattan’s Penn Station, adding, “I believe in big projects.”
“I also know that there’s a way we can get it done where we can be collaborative, reach out to people, understand what’s going on in neighborhoods, listen to their concerns, but also let New Yorkers know we’re going to keep building,” she said.
“I know there are literally hundreds of thousands of jobs waiting to be had in the state of New York, whether it’s offshore wind, Long Island — 10,000 jobs, direct and indirect, that we’re waiting to launch with those initiatives — all the way up to our opportunities with battery storage…to Niagara Falls and harnessing our hydroelectric power.”
Hochul — who was joined at the news conference by powerful union boss Mario Cilent, president of the AFL-CIO — added, “So, I believe that we can do a lot…And stay tuned for more announcements on each and every one.”