Hochul: Most former top Cuomo aides have left their state jobs

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday that most former top aides who advised or helped Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on the sexual harassment claims against him have left or will leave state government.

She had set Thursday as her 45-day deadline to clean house of any Cuomo aides identified in the August report by state Attorney General Letitia James accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment that led to his August resignation.

The report identified several Cuomo staffers and former aides who were part of an effort to develop a strategy to respond to the accusations. The effort included challenging the stories of some of the women accusers, transferring one woman to another job, and releasing negative work records about another.

Many of the Cuomo staffers had already left their state jobs since Hochul took office on Aug. 24 after Cuomo resigned. On Thursday, Hochul said those Cuomo staffers named in the report as part of that effort are gone, and that she met her deadline.

"My position was that anyone who was named in that report by the attorney general would no longer be part of my cabinet," Hochul said.

Among the former Cuomo advisers identified in the report who have left their state jobs are former Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, Superintendent of Financial Services Linda Lacewell, Senior Counsel Beth Garvey, Senior Adviser Rich Azzopardi, Special Counsel Judith Mogul and Jill DesRosiers, chief of staff.

Some former Cuomo staffers identified in the report as having advised the governor amid the accusations lost their private sector jobs, including former Cuomo Counsel Alfonso David. He had worked for The Human Rights Campaign, a large national lobbying group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights.

Hochul didn’t release the number of former Cuomo aides and advisers who have left state government since the former lieutenant governor became the state’s chief executive.

One of Cuomo’s longtime advisers, former Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwartz, will continue his role on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority until January, Hochul said.

Schwartz will retain his post, Hochul said, until a replacement can be confirmed by the Senate, as required by law. She said Schwartz had offered to resign when she became governor.

"I thanked him for his service," Hochul said of Schwartz, who also served as Secretary to the Governor for Gov. David A. Paterson.

Hochul also said she will retain Rick Cotton as executive director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Hochul said Cotton would continue his service even though she questions the need for a proposed $2.1 billion AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport, which Cotton supports.

"I wanted his vast experience and knowledge of major projects … many of which I will still support," Hochul said. "He also said he would defer to my wishes into any area I want to take a second look … we are working closely together."

Cuomo pushed for the project, which he said would take 6 million to 10 million air travelers from LaGuardia to Willets Point in Queens, where they could connect to a 7 train or hop on the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington line. Opponents said the route would inconvenience Manhattan-bound riders, who would be forced to head farther east than the airport. Long Islanders needing to connect to other LIRR lines would have to first travel west to the Woodside station.

"I’m shifting my attention to board positions now," Hochul said. That would mean replacing at least some Cuomo appointees and filling vacancies on boards that help run major state services and programs such as the Cannabis Control Board to create and implement regulations for the production, licensing and sale of marijuana.

Other top Cuomo staffers who have announced resignations since Hochul took office include state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Howard Zemsky, former CEO of Empire State Development, as leaving after Hochul took office. Zemsky left in 2019.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.