Kathy Hochul’s abuse of power is a NY state ‘emergency’By Bill Hammond
August 17, 2022
Ho hum. Another month, another “emergency” in Kathy Hochul’s New York.
On Monday, with zero fanfare, the governor renewed her pandemic emergency declaration for 30 more days, through Sept. 12, even though the Omicron wave that initially inspired the order was largely over by March.
Because it focused on technical rules for state purchasing rather than mask mandates or business closures, the decision made few waves with the public. But declaring emergencies that don’t exist is a dangerous abuse of gubernatorial power — and it’s sadly becoming a pattern.
In recent weeks, Hochul has quietly extended three other emergency declarations that originated in 2021. One focuses on shortages of hospital and nursing-home staff, another on deteriorating conditions at Rikers Island. The oldest, addressing gun violence, was first issued by ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo more than a year ago, shortly before he resigned to avoid impeachment.
The underlying issues are legitimate enough — but they’re persistent problems in need of permanent solutions, not short-term crises to be fixed on the fly.
So why would Hochul pretend otherwise? The real pathogen at work here is Albany-itis, which has been endemic at the state capital for generations. It gives politicians an uncontrollable urge to cut procedural corners, evade accountability and subvert ethical guardrails.
Consider the details of the order renewed on Monday. Its most important provisions suspended enforcement of certain state purchasing laws. This allowed the Hochul administration to buy pandemic-related supplies without the usual precautions, such as getting soliciting bids from multiple suppliers or submitting contracts for vetting by the Comptroller’s Office.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/kathy-hochuls-abuse-of-power-is-an-ny-state-emergency/
