When Patti Kenner sent out the brunch invite with Kathy Hochul for a date in early August, this seemed like tour-stop as usual for the lieutenant governor--to a lovely aged-cedar house just a stone’s throw from the legendary Maidstone Club and golf course in East Hampton. Even the postponement till today seemed normal, until the governor stepped down and, now we were greeting the first female to hold the highest spot in the state, the 57th governor of New York.
Her theme –breaking the glass ceiling—went from goal to fait accompli—as she spoke about her realization early in political life that little girls were looking at her. “Of course, I am ready on day one,” she told the enthusiastic crowd sipping fresh squeezed orange juice and munching on lox and bagels, “that’s what lieutenant governors do”—train for this moment. This was indeed the historic moment--she will get to summon all that leadership strength and moxie for a year before New Yorkers get to vote her in.
Lingering to chat with everyone, Hochul exuded relatability, remembering that she had met me several times in the Hamptons. At the mention of the governor, she said she was too busy working to even think about his problems, the scandals that brought him down. Aside from the many issues at stake in New York state, Covid, the opioid epidemic, homelessness, jobs, is she looking at the larger world: Afghanistan for example? Oh yes, “I went there,” she said, “and was able to talk to women, when the men could not.” One of her first announcements after Tuesday, when her new role is made official, will be that New York will take in Afghan refugees.
Many who know the ropes have offered support. Hillary Clinton called right away, for any help, or venting at 3 A.M.: “I’m there for you.”
Comments