Latest news with #LieutenantGovernor
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘No show' Delgado: NY's lieutenant governor does little to earn $220K paycheck, records show
He wants to be New York's next governor, but Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado has been all but a no-show since getting his $220,000-a-year post three years ago, according to records and Albany insiders. Since being sworn in as Gov. Kathy Hochul's No. 2 on May 25, 2022, the lefty pol has racked up at least 411 days in which he took off or had easy shifts with only one scheduled event or meeting — or none at all, public schedules The Post obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request show. That's a whopping 41% of his first 1,011 days on the job, through Feb. 28. And his schedule has gotten only lighter since he publicly broke from Hochul in late February and announced he won't be seeking re-election, insiders said. Delgado's schedules don't document vacations, but over the nearly three-year period, he racked up a whopping 135 weekdays with no reported work. That translates into 27 weeks of vacation for an average working stiff. If you include weekends — and many statewide pols attend public events on weekends — he reported blank work schedules for 318 days, or nearly 32% of the time. On dozens of other occasions, his shifts included one workday activity: a half-hour or hour-long call with staff. The former two-term Hudson County congressman has since been plotting his campaign, which he announced Monday, to challenge Hochul in next year's Democratic primary, while still collecting a paycheck as lieutenant governor. 'It's no secret that the lieutenant governor rarely showed up for a full day of work, and there were plenty of times he didn't show up at all – even for the few initiatives he claimed were his big accomplishments,' said an Albany source familiar with Delgado's work habits. 'When it comes to the last few months, it's hard to know if he's been doing his day job at all.' The state's Executive Chamber stopped providing administrative support to Delgado on Feb. 28, and the governor's office said it's 'our understanding' that since that time, Delgado 'has been utilizing state Senate systems for his calendar, email, and other [work] purposes.' However, Mike Murphy, a spokesman for the Senate's Democratic majority, told The Post the upper house 'has nothing to do' with Delgado's schedule, adding the lieutenant governor has not attended a Senate session since parting ways with Hochul in February. New York's lieutenant governor, by law, also serves as the Senate president, a largely ceremonial title that carries little weight beyond casting the tie-breaking vote in the rare case it's needed. Delgado's campaign fliers boast he's traveled 'over 60,000 miles to over 1,000 events' as lieutenant governor to 'hear from New Yorkers' – a claim that reads more like fiction based on his available public schedules and insider accounts. His campaign website also touts that his job duties include chairing New York's Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, the state's 10 regional economic development councils, and its Council on Community Justice – and that he 'oversaw the creation of the state's very first Office of Civic and Service Engagement.' However, his public schedule shows only 31 instances where Delgado attended meetings or conducted business via phone or in person related to the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit; 19 times for the regional economic development councils; 10 for the OSCE, and five for the COCJ. Much of Delgado's time was spent attending parades, ribbon cuttings, and heritage events. He sporadically met with top state government leaders and various elected officials. By comparison, Hochul earned a reputation as a workhorse during her nearly seven years as lieutenant governor under then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Her re-election campaign declined to comment. Robert Duffy, who served as lieutenant governor from 2011 through 2014 under Cuomo, said he was flabbergasted by Delgado's work ethic and The Post's findings. 'You can't be in one corner for a couple of days here and there, and then call it a week,' said Duffy, adding the job is not 'part-time.' 'It's at a minimum, five full days a week, but probably closer…to seven days a week to fulfill your responsibilities. But then, even at that schedule, you still feel like you're not accomplishing what you should. 'So the thought of having that many days off and for that length of time is shocking to me,' added Duffy. Duffy, for example, said he averaged attending about 20 regional economic development council meetings a month. As co-chair of the Finger Lakes REDC the past decade, Duffy said he knows first-hand Delgado never attended any of its meetings since becoming Hochul's No. 2. 'He's a very nice man, very smart, but I have to question his heart about wanting to take on a job like governor with a track record like that as lieutenant governor,' added Duffy. Delgado's campaign declined to provide The Post copies of his work schedules since the February break-up with Hochul, but it provided a link to one of his social media accounts that appears to show him attending at least 85 public events from March through May. The campaign also doubled down on its claim that Delgado has attended more than 1,000 events and traveled over 60,000 miles as lieutenant governor. 'Antonio is proud to serve the people of New York,' Delgado campaign spokesman Steven Ileka said. Ileka also pointed out that 'Hochul publicly praised Antonio for doing a 'phenomenal job' as recently as July – adding 'the only thing that's changed since then' was Delgado calling on then-President Joe Biden a week later to step down as the Democratic presidential nominee even as Hochul continued to campaign for Biden. 'We understand that challenging the status quo can be hard for some to handle, but New Yorkers deserve better leadership,' Ileka said. However, longtime Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said he believes Delgado has no shot at unseating Hochul — mostly because too many New Yorkers 'don't even know Delgado's alive.' 'They have no idea what he does, who he is, and where is!' Sheinkopf said. 'He has no presence. The idea that he could be governor is ridiculous.'
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
N.Y. lieutenant governor to challenge Hochul in Democratic primary
Antonio Delgado, New York's lieutenant governor, announced he will run for governor in the state, setting up a bitter Democratic primary battle against the person who appointed him: Gov. Kathy Hochul. In his campaign launch video on Monday, the former congressman highlighted his upbringing in Schenectady, New York, and called for 'bold, decisive, and transformational' leadership. While his announcement didn't mention Hochul by name, Delgado mentioned New York's housing affordability crisis and legal fights the state faced from the Trump administration in what he suggests is retaliation for its liberal policies. 'Listen, the powerful and well-connected have their champions,' Delgado says in the video. 'I'm running for governor to be yours.' Delgado, who represented parts of Hudson Valley during two terms in Congress, was appointed by Hochul to lieutenant governor in 2022 after her previous lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin (whom Hochul also appointed), was indicted on bribery charges and resigned — though the charges against him were ultimately dropped. Delgado said in February he wouldn't seek reelection as lieutenant governor in 2026, fueling speculation he could mount a primary challenge to Hochul. 'When I first made the decision to run for office after the 2016 presidential election, I did so because I believed we needed more leaders in government willing to hold themselves accountable to the people — and only the people. I believe New Yorkers deserve this kind of leadership now more than ever,' Delgado wrote then. 'All options are on the table, and I will be exploring them.' Hochul's office released a scathing response, appearing to confirm the months-long discord between the two officials. 'Today, Antonio Delgado finally said out loud what has been obvious for quite some time: he is simply not interested in doing the job of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York. Governor Hochul had already begun taking steps to identify a new running mate for 2026,' the statement read, adding that her office would be 'reallocating' his duties to make sure they are 'no longer neglected.' In July 2024, Delgado called for former president Joe Biden to step aside and drop his reelection bid, becoming the first statewide Democrat to do so. The move put him at odds with Hochul, who was still a stalwart supporter of Biden's bid. Delgado called for New York Mayor Eric Adams to resign in February amid his federal corruption charges and allegations that Adams engaged in a 'quid pro quo' agreement with the Trump administration to have the charges dropped, sharply breaking with Hochul, who said she would not remove Adams from office and instead proposed oversight measures over his administration. A federal judge dismissed the corruption case against Adams in April. Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, backed Hochul in a statement on Monday, calling the governor 'a proven leader with a strong record of delivering for New Yorkers.' 'The Democratic Governors Association is 100 percent behind Governor Hochul as she continues to deliver for New York, take on Donald Trump, and build the operation it will take to beat Republicans up and down the ballot in 2026,' Meehan-Draper said.
Globe and Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Quebec's National Assembly unanimously votes to break ties with the monarchy
Quebec's National Assembly had a parting gift for King Charles III on Tuesday: a unanimous motion to abolish the monarchy in Quebec. Within hours of the sovereign leaving Canada after his brief visit to open Parliament and deliver the Throne Speech, the blue chamber of the provincial legislature voted 106-0 to cut all ties between the Crown and the province. The motion does not bind the government to act, and constitutional experts agree that enacting it would be nearly impossible, but the gesture highlighted the stark difference in feeling toward all things regal in English and French Canada. King Charles delivers Throne Speech asserting Canada's sovereignty, pledging major transformation in economy The leader of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, put forward the motion, but every party in the legislature supported it, with no abstentions, including the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and the staunchly federalist Liberals. The practical implications of the motion would include jettisoning Quebec's Lieutenant-Governor, the representative of the Crown in the province, who formally appoints ministers, signs laws and launches elections. The leftist Québec solidaire suggested replacing her with an 'administrator' until the province becomes independent, as QS would like. 'I have nothing against the English,' Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon said in a scrum Tuesday. 'It's just not my king. It's not my country. And I don't understand why we throw tens of thousands of dollars every year at these institutions. I find it unacceptable.' Quebeckers have always had a complicated relationship with a monarchy that some still view as a symbol of conquest. Today, the overwhelming sentiment is one of crushing indifference: 87 per cent of respondents in a recent Léger poll said they felt no attachment to the Crown. The Quebec government has taken steps in recent years to diminish the place of the monarchy in public life. In 2022 it scrapped the requirement for members of the National Assembly to pledge allegiance to the King, after a stand-off with deputies from the PQ who refused to do so. In 2023 the National Assembly approved a motion calling to abolish the role of lieutenant-governor. But bringing this week's motion into force would require much more drastic action, said Jean-François Gaudreault-DesBiens, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Montreal. To break with the monarchy in Quebec would require abolishing it across Canada, a step that would involve constitutional reform agreed to by all the provinces and the federal government. 'It's a bit of wishful thinking,' Prof. Gaudreault-DesBiens said. 'As long as Quebec wants to remain within the constitutional order of Canada – so unless it achieves independence – it has to play by the rules.' The PQ, currently leading in the polls, has promised a referendum on independence during its first mandate if elected. But despite the party's popularity, support for Quebec sovereignty is hovering around a historic low amidst U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada. The office of Premier François Legault declined to say Wednesday whether it would take steps to abolish the monarchy in Quebec, but spokesperson Ewan Sauves defended the government's support for the motion. 'We are a nationalist government,' he said in a statement. 'We are responding above all to the people of Quebec. It's clear for us that a majority of Quebeckers don't recognize themselves in the monarchy. And remember: Quebec is a distinct nation within Canada. The motion adopted yesterday is in that spirit.' With reports from The Canadian Press
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
UK Consul-General visits Northern Marianas, highlights shared island priorities and future partnerships
British Consul-General Paul Rennie has visited the Northern Marianas and Guam Photo: Supplied British Consul-General Paul Rennie has visited the Northern Marianas and Guam - the first UK diplomat of his rank to do so. Rennie called the trip "overdue" but essential, as the United Kingdom looks to deepen ties with island communities across the Pacific. "This was the first visit in history by a serving British Consul-General," Rennie said. "While we've had British military visiting the islands before - such as [the ship] HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021 - it was important for me to show that we value this relationship across a wider spectrum of areas." During his three-day visit in the CNMI, Rennie held meetings with key leaders including Lieutenant Governor David Apatang, Senate President Dennis Mendiola, and Saipan Mayor Ramon Camacho. He also visited cultural and historic sites and spoke with educators, business leaders, and tourism officials. Rennie said the CNMI left an impression on him. "The incredible warmth and hospitality of the people I met, their deep connection to the island and its culture and history, and their resilience and positivity when confronting challenges - all stood out to me," he said. He emphasized that as an island nation itself, composed of multiple islands such as the Shetlands and Orkneys, the UK shares many of the same challenges as the CNMI - especially in energy development, environmental management, and economic diversification. "There is a famous quote that no person is an island, and as island nations it makes it all the more critical that we come together and work together to meet shared global challenges." Rennie said he sees potential for the CNMI and the UK to collaborate on sustainable energy projects, small business development, aquaculture, and even logistics innovations, like drone deliveries to isolated communities - technology already being tested in parts of Scotland. "In Scotland we've been testing unmanned aerial drones to deliver mail and medicine to remote islands," Rennie noted. "That could be useful in the CNMI, especially for communities in Rota or the Northern Islands." The Consul General said his visit was not simply symbolic. "It was a chance to learn about the challenges facing these islands, and the innovations that are being developed to meet these challenges," he said. "There's a lot that we can partner with from the UK." He added that his office would explore how the UK could support island communities in the US Pacific territories, particularly in green energy, broadband expansion, and entrepreneurship.
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
6 Democrats want to be Va.'s lieutenant governor. Here's what to know.
RICHMOND — They all promise to 'fight' or 'stand up' to President Donald Trump. All want to spend more on education, protect abortion access, increase the minimum wage and restore voting rights for people who have completed felony sentences. The six candidates vying to become the Democratic nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor in a June 17 primary agree on so many top-line issues that voters might wonder: Why are so many running, and what are the differences that could help decide the race?
