WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul about her new role spearheading when and how Western New York will come out of its New York On Pause COVID-19 restrictions.
Well, obviously this is a new role that you're taking on but before we begin and you tell us about that, you know, what we're learning from this virus is, we are all in this together and that personal touch and checking on a neighbor- via phone call or video is very important. So let me ask you personally, how are you doing and how is your family?
We are in a good place. We're very safe and while I have been in- camped in upstate New York throughout the duration. You know, I still find home and am able to cook some extra food on a weekend for neighbors. I have been taking it to elderly, elderly neighbors. I have because I don't want to see them in stores, or having to go out any more than necessary. And so there's always- that many of us can just find ways to lift the burden a little bit from other people. And, and it's what we do as New Yorkers. It just allows us to shine and show our, our true selves and our sense of selflessness as we pull through this together.
That's great. The question, of course, is about this new role. We know that we're still sheltering in place. We're not ready to open just yet. And you're gonna try to make that determination, right, for Western New York?
Well, that'll be determined strictly on the health outcomes and how we're doing with respect to the number of new cases, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, but also the number of people being discharged from hospitals, which is a very positive development. So what we're going to do in upstate New York and the Western End, where I am, with Buffalo- with the largest metropolitan area outside of New York City, is to create a template that we believe can be used elsewhere in the state. It makes sense, that areas that have a an urban center, but it's surrounded by suburbs, which are more populated, but then certainly very rural areas all have been hit differently than, for example, New York State's downstate areas. And that's just the reality of density and concentration of people and how they live and transportation. And certainly, everyone loves New York City. It's a fascinating, interesting, wonderful place to visit. But there's just a lot of differences. And so I think it was very enlightened, on behalf of the governor, to identify that we can't have a one size fits all in terms of the response and recovery. It was one size fits all in terms of enacting the PAUSE and shutting the economy and society down, that was necessary because there was so much unpredictability. We didn't know if this was going to spread like wildfire through places like Albany up to the North Country and further west. And because of the social distancing and people listening to Governor Cuomo and adhering to this, we have been successful in really containing that spread, but we're not out of the woods yet. But that allows us to at least envision the future, what it's going to look like in terms of rolling out industries and what's, what those industries will have to do to make us feel comfortable, that their customers and employees will be safe. And then just, you know, roll it out gradually, in a thoughtful way, that scans based on the numbers of people that are- been affected by the crisis. And I think that's a smart way to go about and that's all we want to do, is have a, a smart, strategic approach that will give confidence to New Yorkers that we're going to open as soon as we can, but not a day too early.
And I see that the Former Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy is part of this as a special advisor. Is this for the Finger Lakes?
Yes, it is. And I've already been in touch with Former Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy, who plays a role as a leader of business association in Rochester. So we will collaborate together on this because, there's, again, there's a lot of similarities between the Western Region, the Finger Lakes Region, the Central New York Region, the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley. Yeah, when you think about it, you know, we, we have these different names that are associated with our economic development strategies but there probably is a more unified approach that would make sense for most of these regions. Again, we're watching hospitalization rates and what's the capacity of various hospitals. But, you know, what we do together in this side of the state, I think could be very helpful to the rest of the state as we talk about reopening overall.
Can you put a face on this for us? Can you introduce us to anybody that you've met along the way here?Whether it's a healthcare worker, emergency personnel, anybody? Even someone who's suffered or lost someone from the disease, so we can really get an understanding of how serious this is.
You know, when I do phone calls, and again, I'd love to meet people in person, but I have been adhering to the social distancing guidelines. So, I've got to hear one person, but I do a lot of call in shows and answer questions. And last night, I had the opportunity to be on a phone call and people were calling in from all over the state, mostly New York City area, and just hearing the voices of people that are feeling lost. And someone who said, "Yeah, I now have my 13 year old son at home with me all day long. He's supposed to be in school. And now I'm running out of food because I'm not used to having to feed a big teenager like him." And I said, "You know what, I'm a mom too." And I got it- "I can't imagine the stress you're under to worry about getting that unemployment check to help you feed your young son." And so I just- I really connect at a very deep personal level with the stress that people are under. And that's why I'm doing an Instagram Live this afternoon to talk about the mental health challenges. And there's always been associated- an- a stigma associated, unfortunately, with getting assistance if you have emotional or mental health challenges. But we're trying to break that down and let people know that: you're struggling, we're all struggling, and there is- there's help out there for- you can call our hotline, you can, you know, get assistance and just have someone talk you through a bad day sometimes. So I think we can never forget that there's real human beings that are affected by this, and not just statistics. They live in fear every day. Are they going to be next? Is it someone they love next? And, and I take strength from the resiliency of those New Yorkers who have been hard hit, but they're still wearing their mask. They're still listening to us, in guiding them to a healthier future and, and we're going to get through this but in the meantime, I'll never forget the people that I know struggled but stayed with us. They are, they are New York Tough, and I'm really proud to represent them.
Well, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has obviously become 'must-watch' and 'must-listening' each day, as he delivers his briefing. Not only has New York been captured by his presentations and the way he's handled the virus, but the country, even the world, has been focusing on him. Largely because they don't seem to be getting the information they need from the federal response. And I'm wondering, because Governor Cuomo has met with President Trump this week, has been talking about the cooperation he's getting, but when you look at the people who are suffering, just the unemployment in general the economic pain. The state's really going to need more help, right? Resources and money from the federal government.
That is so true. And the governor, you know, you have, he's- so proud to have him as your governor. And we've always known that he was a leader in our state, but the rest of the nation is looking. They're starving for leadership. Someone who will just tell it like it is, you know, "don't sugarcoat it". Get out there every single day, seven days a week, say, "This is what I know today. I want you to know, at the same time, I know, this is our plan. We're going to get through this." Talk about his, you know, the personal effect that it's had on him and his family. So he's extremely relatable. And I think that gives people confidence, and this whole shutdown of our economy and society would not work if people didn't trust in their government to get it right. And I think it was in that absence of confidence in what was happening in Washington, absolutely in the early days, when we were getting conflicting information about the severity of this, is going to be gone in a couple of days, "It's only going to be few cases." I mean, that if you replay some of those tapes, it's like no one, no one was allowing us to understand the scale of this- the scope of what we'd be dealing with just an matter of days or weeks. So the governor filled that void, and I think people have appreciated that leadership. But with respect to our relationship with Washington, Governor Cuomo has done everything textbook perfect in terms of managing a complex relationship where there are many times when he's publicly disagreed with the president and doesn't pull any punches. We're New Yorkers, we don't do that. But when it comes to funding for his state, he'll do whatever it takes to get what we need. And that includes going to Washington sitting down with the president, pleading his case to get more help with testing-the supply chain so we can conduct those in New York. But also saying, "Listen, we are the hardest hit state in the nation. Our costs are going through the roof. We are trying to manage this, but we will be without money in the state of New York if we don't get federal assistance." So he made a compelling case on why states like New York and other states that have been hard hit deserve to have a federal relief- for them and for their localities. And it was extremely, extremely discouraging to hear politics interjected into this- you know, managing a pandemic. When Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate, just said that "we shouldn't be having bailouts for blue states". That hurt us to a core. We are trying to be unified. This is a unique American moment that we'll be talking about for the rest of our lives, just like people came to the Depression, that defined them. This is defining us. And to have someone say that states like New York don't deserve to get help, because there's more Democrats there? We have- the governor called it out, I'm calling it out. And we have to stop that, that narrative that there's any room for politics when we try to protect the lives of all Americans.
Well, and you know, New Yorkers are New Yorkers. Forget Republican, forget Democrat, forget Trump supporter or whatever you want to say. But then you have the idea of trying to protect all these people without politics, but when you have this information that's coming out like- I can't help but ask you, about the president saying "That you should inject disinfectant" I mean, disinformation that's being spread and we know that somewhere, some supporter of his may follow that.
That is troubling. I know for a fact, I saw Lysol today put out a disclaimer saying "Do not do this", it could be life threatening, in fact. And so, you know, what we do is, we balance all that, that information that's flowing out of Washington. And just my advice is to people, if you want to know the straight to truth every single day, tune into Governor Cuomo his press conferences, anywhere from 11 to 12, usually 11:30. And you will get the straight facts of at least what's happening in your home state. And it won't be based on any kind of, you know, strange scientific theories or untested modes of trying to address this crisis, or any strange strategies or therapies. So you'll just get it based on what we know to be truth and that's something that the people of New York deserve and have come to expect from us.
I have to say, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, when I saw an interview with you just- not too long ago. I believe it was with Spectrum News, you gave me some hope. Because you talked about "the new normal." When we come away from this pandemic, and we try to get back to sort of business as usual, it really won't be like it was before. You talked about how there may be new strategies with business, and that women could even benefit in a new normal.
I believe that to my core. That what we can do as we surface from underwater here, and we come up for air and we can look around at what the rest of the world looks like, the new world that we'll be entering. There is no reason why we can't make it even better. And to look at the workplace, for example, and why, why there is a premise that people have to work on site when they can be just as productive in some cases at home? And what liberty that gives women. And I was a stay-at-home mom, trying to start a small business and trying to manage a small legal practice and I had kids at home because there's no childcare. You know, I appreciate at least having the flexibility to have kids, and not worry about where they're going to go while I was working hours, sometimes 'til one in the morning, to work on legal contracts. So I know that there is flexibility. Women can do amazing things. But you know, to have to show up in an office and drop the kids off at childcare and pay exorbitant prices, that, that that's a barrier for many women. And so I think there's flexibility that can be adapted now. Employers who trust their employees will be just as productive and this has been a good test. It can eliminate commutes, a lot of hassle, change our workspaces, but also, you know, why not just reimagine how we deliver all kinds of service, telehealth services? Why aren't more people, particularly in rural areas, able to get a doctor's visit through telehealth? And areas where we knew that the capability was there, but we never had a reason to really delve- dive deeply into. Or higher education, making that more accessible to people through online services. And so, rethinking society and the economy and also, you know, the social injustice that's latent, that's been there for a long time, and how we can eradicate some of those evils of society as we go forward. Why don't we have a- start with a clean slate and really reimagine different sectors and how it can look better and how we can accomplish that. So that's one of the roles I'm looking forward to playing with the governor is he set out this challenge, not just to bring back New York, but to reimagine New York. And I'm, I'm excited about that. And when I talk about that with people in Western New York as we come up with a game plan for other parts of the state, that energizes people and gives them hope.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul of New York joining us, and I can't thank you enough for taking the time. I hope we can get you to come back someday soon when we have more information on what regions are going to be opening and when.
Right, I look forward to it. Thank you very much.
