Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
How Cuomo's Sudden Exit May Give NYC Mayor A Chance To Call The Shots In Albany
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 23, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 23, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It was a tweet worth a thousand likes.
Long after New Yorkers had become accustomed to the acrimonious and dysfunctional relationship between Mayor Bill de Blasio and outgoing governor Andrew Cuomo, the state’s soon-to-be governor, Kathy Hochul last week tweeted a photo of what looked like a reset—a meeting at a conference room table between herself and de Blasio, the two most powerful politicians in the state, laughing in mid-conversation over a plate of sweets.
“Pastries were broken, ” observed NY1 political reporter, Gloria Pazmino.
For many political observers, Hochul's concerted outreach has suggested the possibility of a new dawn in the governing approach of the state's new leader. But some say her unexpected ascent could also result in something more impactful for New York City—the upending of a timeworn political dynamic where mayors have always been at the mercy of governors.
Hochul, who officially assumes the helm on Tuesday, has already said that she plans to run for a full term next year. She has roughly 10 months to raise money and build voter support until the gubernatorial primary in June 2022. The city will be critical to that effort: New York City Democrats made up nearly 58% of the total primary voters statewide in 2018.
So far the list of potential Democratic candidates includes Letitia James, the state attorney general, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate who Hochul also met with last week, Kathryn Garcia, the Democratic primary runner-up, and Mayor de Blasio—all of whom have strong ties to the city. Of those individuals, only Williams has confirmed that he is exploring a possible run.
“Regardless of who runs, they are going to need to curry favor and support from the mayor of New York City,” said Neal Kwatra, a New York City Democratic strategist.
Come January, the beneficiary of this attention is most likely to be Eric Adams, the Democratic primary winner who is heavily favored to win the general election in November against Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
In Hochul, Adams will be not only be dealing with a new governor who is seeking election and the crucial support of downstate voters, but one that has at her disposal an unprecedented amount of federal funding to distribute as part of the Biden administration's stimulus relief package that directs nearly $13 billion to New York.
According to Kwatra, those two factors taken together translates into a unique window in which Adams can try to notch some policy wins within the first few months of taking office.
"You can have a once-in-a-generation opportunity for real collaboration, and not political point scoring and gotcha gamesmanship," he said.
Some of the calculus has to do with the possibility that James, the first Black woman to hold statewide office, will enter the race as a formidable competitor with appeal among Black and progressive and moderate voters who have watched her profile rise over the years. It was James's investigation into Cuomo's sexual misconduct that resulted in his downfall.
"Eric has a lot of leverage here because he knows that she needs not only support in this city but support from the Black and brown communities, with the anticipation that Tish is going to run for governor," said George Arzt, a longtime political consultant.
Basil Smikle, another Democratic strategist, said should Hochul begin making public appearances with Adams in Black neighborhoods like central Brooklyn and southeast Queens where he performed strongly with primary voters, "then I think he’s adding his imprimatur to the equation." Another sign, he said, would be the extent to which Adams is involved in the state budget negotiations, which begin in the winter.
A bigger question may be what policies Adams elects to prioritize with the new governor. During the mayoral primary campaign, he made public safety the centerpiece of his platform while also positioning himself as a working class politician who won strong union backing. Some experts have argued that Adams will face pressure to tackle issues around racial and economic inequality, which he often invoked on the campaign trail and are often considered the root causes of crime.
In the wake of Cuomo's resignation, Adams told reporters that he spoke with Hochul on the phone and plans to meet with her to discuss legislation that would permit closed hotels to be redeveloped into housing for homeless and low-income New Yorkers. The bill has already passed both houses of the state legislature.
One of Adams's own proposals that requires state approval is expanding and advancing payments made to low-income earners through the Earned-Income Tax Credit program, which would raise the incomes of the working poor.
James Parrott, an economist at the New School, said that although passing the necessary legislation would involve significant coordination between New York City and Albany, the policy could conceivably be implemented in a mayor's first year in office, similar to what happened with de Blasio's universal pre-K plan.
Experts all agree that Adams should have plenty of priorities to choose from, beginning with those that are tied to the city's recovery from the pandemic. They include job creation, climate change, affordable housing, education, transportation, and healthcare reform.
Adams's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Some strategists and lawmakers cautioned against overestimating any advantage a mayor would have, however brief, in a political institution that inherently favors governors.
"Governors tend to win," Smikle said, invoking the often-cited dictum that cities are "creatures of the state."
Although the prolonged and nasty nature of de Blasio and Cuomo's rivalry currently looms large in the public's memory, Jeffrey Dinowitz, a Democratic state assembly member who represents the Bronx, said he could recall the disputes between mayors and governors going back to Mayor John Lindsay and Governor Nelson Rockefeller, both liberal Republicans.
That relationship has been called the "mother of all mayor-governor feuds;" so much did Lindsay want to get out from under the incessantly needling thumb of Rockefeller that in 1971 he explored the possibility of having New York City secede from the state. That same year Lindsay switched parties and became a Democrat.
"Sometimes it's a little tension, sometimes it's open warfare," Dinowitz said of the rapport between mayors and governors in general. "That’s just the dynamic."
Similarly, Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan, said that in addition to the institutional elements, New York tends to elect "aggressive, hard-boiled executives."
"So there’s added jockeying for the lead in the storylines," she said.
Krueger argued that as long as the governor controls the pursestrings and has to consider the needs of other regions in the state, the mayor of New York City will always be subject to disappointment.
"It's like marriages," she said. "What do people fight about? Money."
Tagged
Albany
eric adams
andrew cuomo
Kathy Hochul
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
A summer surge in ICE arrests in NYC and NJ, mostly of people with no criminal history
New data confirms a rise in immigration arrests many in targeted communities suspected was underway.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Aug 27, 2026 at 4:56 p.m. ET
NYC families get reprieve in fight over trans youths' medical records
Advocates say an appeals court ruling offers relief as the legal fight with the Trump administration continues.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
NYC families get reprieve in fight over trans youths' medical records
Advocates say an appeals court ruling offers relief as the legal fight with the Trump administration continues.
By
Giulia Heyward
NYC's suspension classrooms have a major attendance problem, audit finds
By
Karen Yi
Case dismissed against NJ man accused of fatally punching stranger at Penn Station
By
Samantha Max
2 Brooklyn men sentenced for staging car crashes on NYC highways
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .