During an hour-long verbal sparring match, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Buffalo) warded off criticism from her two Democrat opponents, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove, Nassau County) and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) earlier this month, just days prior to the June primary.
Viewed on CBS stations across the state, the debate topics included, among other issues, Hochul’s evolving stance on gun policy; gun and subway violence; bail reform; mental health services; conflict of interest issues; second-hand cannabis smoke; New York’s faltering economy; term limits; and state compensation for families who had loved ones die in state-run nursing homes and long-term care facilities because of Covid.
Hochul, 63, was verbally battered by Suozzi, 59, at the debate and in recent television ads about her endorsement by the National Rifle Association when she ran for Congress in 2011.
“All three of us up here support the gun legislation, it’s great, it’s wonderful, it’s fantastic,” Suozzi said wryly. “Only one of us has ever been endorsed by the NRA, taken money from the NRA. Why did you take money from the NRA, why did you vote with the NRA, why did you get endorsed by the NRA? She said I did it because I needed it to get the votes in my district. Where’s the principle in that? I don’t understand that.”
Hochul countered by saying, “As I have said about the NRA, that is an attack from over a decade ago and I said I represented a district back then that was very different and I have evolved on that issue. Heaven help us if we don’t get more people to evolve their positions and see the light of day after all these mass shootings as well as the day-to-day shootings and that is why I have made public safety job number one to protect the health of the people but also the safety of New Yorkers. Many people have evolved on this issue. We need more people to evolve.”
Williams, 46, stayed out of the fray on Hochul’s NRA endorsement. His major concerns were guns, crime, housing and food insecurity.
“Are the New Yorkers who need the most better off?” Williams asked rhetorically. “They aren’t. That’s because of how Albany works. That’s what I want to focus on as governor to make sure the people who aren’t housed, who are facing eviction, who are facing foreclosure, who do not have healthcare, who are dealing with real gun violence can have a governor who can really address those issues.”
Then there was debate over the ethics behind approving $485 million so the billionaire owners of the Buffalo Bills can build a new stadium outside the city limits of Buffalo in the suburb of Orchard Park, where the team currently plays.
“The Buffalo Bills deal was a secret deal that didn’t go through a single public hearing despite the fact that it’s the largest giveaway of taxpayer dollars in the history of the NFL,” Suozzi charged. “When the governor puts her mind to something like the Buffalo Bills, she gets it done. When it comes to bail reform, mayoral control and the other things, she doesn’t get it done.”
“We need someone who is going to stop the budget to say we need more money for gun violence prevention, not a billionaire to get a stadium to be built outside of Buffalo when people are suffering,” Williams chimed in.
Suozzi brought up the potential conflict of interest between Hochul’s husband, Bill, who is the general counsel for the company holding the vendor concession contract for the stadium, Delaware North. Hochul defended her decision as a deal that would benefit taxpayers.
“That stadium will be more than paid for in tax revenues derived from income as well as the economic benefit,” she said. “It will far exceed the investment made by the state. We also create 10,000 new jobs. Critically important in the area like western New York. Every part of the state has regional priorities. I really do understand people questioning this. The Buffalo Bills is the identity of western New York like Broadway is to New York City. It’s part of who they are. I made sure they would stay there for the next 30 years.”
Williams was not sold. “Every economist says that a stadium does not bring a return,” he said. “Gun violence is not just regional. It is through the entire state.”
“There is no connection between this company that does concessions, they literally sell beer and hot dogs at the games, they have nothing to do with negotiations,” Hochul said in defense of her husband. “The owners can select anyone who they want to do concessions. I’m proud of his work. His ethics are second to none as is mine. We know what’s important for the people of this state and that is to continually restore their faith in government. That is something I take seriously every single day.”
Suozzi continued to hammer Hochul’s defense and potential conflict of interest charge when the question arose about casinos in western New York.
“When she announced the funding of the Buffalo Bills stadium, she said $450 million would come from the Seneca Nation,” Suozzi said. “The Seneca Nation has a casino. She strong-armed the Seneca Nation to pay $450 million right before the Buffalo Bills deal was announced. Surprise, surprise!!! Who is the main competitor with the Seneca casinos? Delaware North. The same company that has the concession to the Buffalo Bills. The same company that her husband is the general counsel for.”
On the topic of congestion pricing, Suozzi said, “I support congestion pricing but not now in the midst of this financial crisis we’re facing.”
“We should do it now,” Williams said. “It’s something that I’ve been supporting for a very long time. It’s important not only because of the climate but because of the revenue that we need to deal with so many issues.”
Hochul also wants to implement congestion pricing to pay for mass transit repairs and to keep fares stable.
“I support congestion pricing but we’ve been in negotiations with the federal government that has the say on the next step and they have now put some other hurdles in the way [that] we have to overcome,” Hochul said. “This is not going to happen over the next year under any circumstances. Now is not the right time.”
She admitted she did not know how long congestion pricing would be delayed.
Another topic during the debate was second-hand marijuana smoke, which people inhale from others who smoke joints in public.
“It’s important if we’re talking about Black and brown communities, because that’s where I’m from,” Williams said. “The same communities that have been abused by drug laws that made things illegal that are now going to be legal. The same places where you shouldn’t drink, you shouldn’t smoke marijuana.”
“This is a real challenge we face,” Suozzi said. “I face it when I’m walking in the streets of New York City. You’re always smelling pot when you’re walking down the streets.… It’s very important as far as education and it’s very important as far as people can only smoke in legal locations. You shouldn’t be able to smoke out in the open air the same as you’re not allowed to drink out in the open air.”
“I’m working with our commissioner of health to put together a PSA (public service announcement) right now to talk about how we have to respect each other’s space,” Hochul said. “To understand that people don’t want to be inhaling, whether it be cigarette smoke or marijuana smoke. No one should have to be exposed to that.”
Suozzi, who served as mayor of Glen Cove and was Nassau County executive before heading to Congress, was the only gubernatorial hopeful who opposed term limits. Suozzi had one last parting shot directed at the governor.
“The people had such high hopes when the governor took office and she pledged to make it the most ethical, most transparent government in the history of New York state. That simply hasn’t happened,” he said.
