Former Governor Aide Weighs in on What Lt. Gov. Hochul Needs to Do

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was meeting with the State Health Commissioner Thursday as part of her transition into the role of governor.

Hochul has two weeks to settle into one of the most complicated governor jobs in the country and News10NBC talked to a person who has worked in that office.

Mark R. Ustin, former aide to Gov. George Pataki, told us the most important thing Hochul can do is surround herself with the right people and that might mean keeping some of the Cuomo administration around.

“It’s all about staff at this point,” Ustin said.

Ustin is an Albany lawyer and lobbyist. He was a health care aide to Gov. Pataki in the early 2000s.

With the COVID situation now he says Hochul has an opportunity to fill vacancies in the New York State Department of Health.

“Something on the order of nine senior positions are currently vacant,” he said. “Just because you know after a year and a half of 24 hours a day of work people are understandably worn out.”

Read the full article on News 10NBC here:

Former governor aide weighs in on what Lt. Gov. Hochul needs to do – WHEC.com