From the beginning, Adams and Hochul, both center-right Democrats, seemed to find common ground on issues related to public safety and helping working-class New Yorkers. Hochul supported making changes to bail reform, one of Adams’ top political priorities in Albany.
Only a few of these proposals eventually passed into the state legislature, but the mayor got other parts of his agenda approved, including an expansion of the work income tax credit program, which helps low-income workers in the city, and creating a trust to help fund the repair of public housing.
“Governor Hochul has been constantly supporting the expansion of mayoral control and we are reviewing the final bills passed by the legislature,” the governor’s office said in a statement to Gothamist.
Hank Sheinkopf, a political consultant, said having a good relationship with the governor is always important for a mayor, but even more so for Adams, who faces a left-wing state legislature.
“It makes it harder for the legislature to create a gap between them,” Sheinkopf said.
However, their link will soon be tested again. Hochul is due to decide in the coming months whether to sign two laws that Adams has expressly opposed: a bill that would force smaller classes in New York City public schools and another that bans two years. cryptocurrency mining, which has the support of environmentalists.
The first bill, which has been a complaint for decades in schools in the city, has the support of education advocates and the state teachers’ union, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). But Adams said the measure is too costly, citing an estimated $ 500 million a year to build a new space and hire more teachers.
When asked if he would ask the governor to veto the bill at a public housing event earlier this month, Adams said, “The governor will do his assessment.” But Adams added that he planned to continue discussions with the UFT and lawmakers.
Following Wednesday’s approval, a reporter asked Hochul if Adams had contacted him to discuss the cryptography bill.
“We’re going to talk about this very soon,” he told her, according to a tweet.