Gov. Kathy Hochul pressed on renewing donor-friendly COVID state of emergency edictBy Zach Williams
July 19, 2022
Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing sharp criticism for keeping in place a COVID-19 state of emergency that dates back to her predecessor that some say serves largely to benefit her campaign donors.
Hochul has renewed a state of emergency for months that has suspended state purchasing rules which, the Times Union reported Tuesday, let a rapid testing company called Digital Gadgets — led by a campaign donor — secure $637 million in no-bid business from the state Department of Health since December.
“We have these finance laws for a reason. They’re there to protect the taxpayers from paying too much because the state is playing favorites with contractors,” Bill Hammond, a senior fellow for health care policy at the government watchdog Empire Center for Public Policy, told The Post.
The owner of the company, Charlie Tebele, and his family, have given nearly $300,000 to Hochul as she runs for election to her post against Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin.
Bryan Lesswing, a senior advisor for Hochul, defended the business with the company, which he said provided tests necessary to keep schools open.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/07/19/hochul-pressed-for-keeping-donor-friendly-covid-emergency-in-place/
