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ALBANY Gov. Kathy Hochul often talks about her self-described humble beginnings that culminated in her accession to be the 57th governor of New York. Along the way, the Erie County native has made many friends, some of whom have coalesced into her inner circle.

Ahead of Hochul's first legislative session as governor, she has generally kept her top priorities close to her. She has emphasized her desire not to negotiate policy in the press. Instead, Hochul looks to speak directly with those involved in the decisions, including state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl. E Heastie.

Hochul also has a wide range of people she has met along the way to becoming governor that she can trust and turn to for input. As lieutenant governor, from 2014 until former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo resigned in August, Hochul often crisscrossed the state, cutting ribbons, touting economic development and cultivating relationships with people at all levels of government and commerce.

Here are a few people who the governor has said she turns to for advice.

Hochul refers to the leader of the New York conference of the NAACP, Hazel Dukes, as her "mom on Earth." Hochul, who lost her mother seven years ago, views Dukes, 89, as someone who has "stood with me through thick and thin" and is a "spiritual advisor.

"She calls me all the time and I pick up the phone and say, 'What do you need, Hazel?'" Hochul said when she introduced then-state Sen. Brian Benjamin as her lieutenant governor in Harlem.

Dukes was one of the first noteworthy people to endorse Hochul for governor. Dukes has significant influence in New York City and is close with the similarly influential Rev. Al Sharpton. The two appeared on stage with Hochul and Benjamin during their press event in August.

An activist, but also representative of an older guard of Democrats, Dukes could be among the influential voices advisingHochul on how far to take criminal justice policies that are set to be among the most contentious issues this session.

This story appears in the Times Union's new quarterly magazine devoted to the major trends driving the Capital Region's economy.

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal D. People-Stokes may not outrank Heastie, but her long relationship with Hochul is likely to play a major factor in the dynamics during session.

While Peoples-Stokes, a Buffalo Democrat, has championed marijuana reforms, she has pushed back against more progressive policies. In the recent divisive race for mayor of Buffalo, she supported incumbent Byron Brown, who ran a successful write-in campaign, over the partys primary nominee, Democratic-Socialist India Walton. Hochul avoided offering an endorsement.

Peoples-Stokes has a long history in elected office. She was a member of the Erie County Legislature from 1993 to 2002, and has since represented the 141st Assembly district, which includes the city of Buffalo.

Peoples-Stokes recalled her close, decades-long relationship with Hochul in the days prior to Hochuls appointment as governor.

When Peoples-Stokes ran for Congress in 1998, Hochul, then on the Hamburg Town Council, was the only Democrat who was willing to walk me through her community as a candidate, Peoples-Stokes told Buffalo TV station WVIB in August.

In 2014, when Cuomo tapped Hochul to be his running mate, Peoples-Stokes was named as co-chair of Cuomos campaign.And when Hochul did take over from Cuomo, Peoples-Stokes swiftly supported her fellow Erie County politician. She was among the first state lawmakers to endorse Hochul for a full term.

Hochul often talks about her time in local government and the importance of supporting the needs of those governments, as opposed to unilaterally placing unfunded and unpopular mandates that have been drawn up out of Albany or New York City.

One person Hochul has often referenced is Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. When Hochul was county clerk, Poloncarz was comptroller there.

On Nov. 22, prior to the emergence of the omicron variant of COVID-19, Hochul issued a statement specifically thanking Poloncarz for a mask mandate he put in place as that county was dealing with overwhelmed hospitals. This is an example of the leadership we need to see at the local level to combat this deadly virus, Hochul said.

Three weeks later, defending her statewide mask policy, Hochul once again gave a shout out to Poloncarz and then vaguely referenced other, unnamed county executives.

With the state mask policy, which by this news conference already had been receiving substantial political blowback, Hochul said the county leaders are certainly appreciative now that the state will give them air cover in a sense.

The president of the influential Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York has quickly become a frequent attendee at news conferences for the governor. While Hochul looks to advance an agenda of building up the city, in step with President Joe Bidens infrastructure goals, the governor has turned to the labor leader for support.

Although LaBarbera has yet to formally endorse Hochuls bid for a full term for governor, he has appeared alongside Hochul multiple times. In December, the two joined up at events celebrating the multi-billion dollar expansion of the John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens. LaBarbera, in a statement, thanked Hochul for her effective leadership in moving this landmark infrastructure project forward.

Hochul is continuing to look to unions for political and financial support in her run for governor. Many of the trades union leaders, including LaBarbera, were politically close to Cuomo, but have generally signaled that they are moving forward with Hochul, the states top Democrat.

In 2018, when Hochul was running against New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for reelection for lieutenant governor, LaBarbera endorsed Hochul as someone who has stood by our side on every one of our issues, bar none, according to news reports at the time. One of Hochuls potential Democratic primary opponents for governor is Williams.

As much as there are political and business people that may have the ear of Hochul, she perhaps references her faith and family as guiding her more than any other North Star.

Hochul, a Roman Catholic, has peppered her speeches with religious allegories at certain times. She had also made it an early habit to frequent churches for Sunday service and subsequent speeches.

She may not be back home in Erie County for every Sunday, but the governor has shown she is often rooted in her view of her faith, which includes a deep desire to support the homeless. Hochul, though, is a strong supporter of womens rights and their rights to abortion.

When Hochul was sworn in as governor, her immediate family members were alongside. It included her two children, her father and others. Hochul has emphasized the need to protect the elderly during the pandemic.

Hochul has also referenced her familys personal experience with losing a loved one to addiction issues, which is a guiding principle for her views on the opioid epidemic and recovery.

Hochuls husband, William J. Hochul Jr., is general counsel and secretary to Delaware North Companies, a major statewide player that deals in hospitality and gambling. Her spouse is the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, serving under President Barack Obama, a point Hochul likes to discuss.

The two have vouched they would maintain a firm firewall on any potential issues of conflict and her husband has pledged to recuse himself from work that could be viewed as a conflict of interest.

The rest is here:
Allies in the governor's inner circle - Albany Times Union