The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the New York Legislature,to convene the legislature and grant pardons,except in cases of impeachment and treason. The governor of New York is the highest paid governor in the country.
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term. Official duties dictated to the lieutenant governor under the present New York Constitution are to serve as president of the state senate,serve as acting governor in the absence of the governor from the state or the disability of the governor,or to become governor in the event of the governor's death,resignation or removal from office via impeachment. Additional statutory duties of the lieutenant governor are to serve on the New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments,the State Defense Council,and on the board of trustees of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The lieutenant governor of New York is the highest-paid lieutenant governor in the country.
Leecia Roberta Eve is an American attorney from New York with experience in federal government,state government,and the private sector who currently works as a lobbyist for telecommunications giant Verizon. Born in Buffalo,Eve was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York during the 2006 election. After working for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton,Eve served as a senior advisor during Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. From 2011 to 2013,she was Deputy Secretary for Economic Development in the Executive Chamber of New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. She was appointed to the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in July 2017. Eve ran for Attorney General of New York in 2018,but was defeated in the Democratic primary.
Buffalo,New York's government is run by a democratically elected mayor and council of nine members.
Darryl C. Towns was the Commissioner and CEO of New York State Homes and Community Renewal agency. He is a former representative of the 54th Assembly District in the New York State Legislature,which comprises the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick,Cypress Hills,and East New York from 1993 to 2011.
Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins is an American politician and educator from Yonkers,New York. A member of the Democratic Party,Stewart-Cousins has represented District 35 in the New York State Senate since 2007 and served as Majority Leader and Temporary President of that body since 2019. She has served twice as acting lieutenant governor of New York under Governor Kathy Hochul,for 16 days in 2021 and between April and May 2022. Stewart-Cousins is the first Black woman to serve as New York's lieutenant governor,although in an acting capacity. She is the first woman in New York State history to lead a conference in the New York State Legislature and the first female Senate Majority Leader in New York history.
Christopher Carl Collins is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 27th congressional district from 2013 until his resignation in 2019. Collins was elected Erie County Executive in 2007 and held that position for one term. A member of the Republican Party,Collins was the first sitting U.S. Representative to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States in 2016,and he served on Trump's first presidential transition team. He resigned his seat in 2019 and afterwards pleaded guilty to insider trading and lying to the FBI.
The Southtowns is a region of Western New York,United States,that lies within the snowbelt or ski country. It includes the southern suburbs of Buffalo,New York. This is the common name for the southern part of Erie County,New York.
On September 21,2007,Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer issued an executive order directing that state offices allow illegal aliens to be issued driver's licenses effective December 2007. The measure was introduced three times. Once,as an executive order that was later withdrawn,then revamped as a legislative bill,which was defeated in the New York State Senate,and finally introduced as an administrative measure through the Department of Motor Vehicles and withdrawn again after heavy public and political opposition.
Jane Lewis Corwin is an American politician and businesswoman who currently serves a Commissioner of the International Joint Commission for United States and Canada. She previously served as a Republican Party member of the New York State Assembly from 2009 to 2016. She represented the 144th Assembly District which covers parts of Erie and Niagara counties. Corwin was also the Republican Party nominee in the special election held on May 24,2011,to fill Western New York's 26th district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives previously held by Republican Chris Lee. She faced three other candidates in the election,losing to Democrat Kathy Hochul 47 percent to 42 percent.
The U.S. state of New York has generally been seen as socially liberal in regard to lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) rights. LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states,"The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth,and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". The advocacy movement for LGBT rights in the state has been dated as far back as 1969 during the Stonewall riots in New York City. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal since the New York v. Onofre case in 1980. Same-sex marriage has been legal statewide since 2011,with some cities recognizing domestic partnerships between same-sex couples since 1998. Discrimination protections in credit,housing,employment,education,and public accommodation have explicitly included sexual orientation since 2003 and gender identity or expression since 2019. Transgender people in the state legally do not have to undergo sex reassignment surgery to change their sex or gender on official documents since 2014. In addition,both conversion therapy on minors and the gay and trans panic defense have been banned since 2019. Since 2021,commercial surrogacy has been legally available within New York State. In 2024,the Constitution of New York was amended to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
A 2011 special election in New York's 26th congressional district was held on May 24,2011 to fill a seat in the U.S. Congress for New York's 26th congressional district. The seat had been vacated due to the February 2011 resignation of married Rep. Chris Lee,who left office amid a scandal involving flirtatious emails and a shirtless picture he sent to a woman he met on Craigslist. Four candidates competed in the election:Republican Assemblymember Jane Corwin;Democrat Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul;Green Party candidate Ian Murphy,editor of the Buffalo Beast;and independent candidate Jack Davis,a businessman running on the Tea Party line. On Election Day,Hochul won an upset victory,prevailing over Corwin by a margin of 47.24%-42.28%;Davis received 8.99% of the vote.
William J. Hochul Jr. is an American lawyer who served as United States attorney for the Western District of New York from 2010 to 2016. Hochul has been the first gentleman of New York since August 2021,when his wife,Kathy Hochul,ascended to the governorship following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo. He was previously the Second Gentleman while his wife was lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2021.
Kathleen Hochul is an American politician and lawyer who has served since August 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party,she is New York's first female governor and the first governor from Upstate New York since Nathan L. Miller in 1922.
Timothy Martin Kennedy is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for New York's 26th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party,he was elected in the April 2024 special election to finish the remainder of Brian Higgins's term in the 118th United States Congress. Prior to his congressional tenure,Kennedy served in the New York State Senate from 2011 to 2024.
The New York State Department of Financial Services is the department of the New York state government responsible for regulating financial services and products,including those subject to the New York insurance,banking and financial services laws.
Patrick B. Burke is an American politician who serves in the New York State Assembly from the 142nd district,which represents South Buffalo,the City of Lackawanna,and the towns of West Seneca and Orchard Park. Burke is a South Buffalo native.
The 2022 New York gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of New York. Kathy Hochul ascended to the governorship in August 2021,upon Andrew Cuomo's resignation following allegations of sexual harassment. She sought a full term as governor. She appointed Brian Benjamin to the position of lieutenant governor and planned to run alongside him until he too resigned in April 2022. Congressman Antonio Delgado was appointed to replace Benjamin as lieutenant governor. Hochul defeated Jumaane Williams and Tom Suozzi in the Democratic primary for governor,while Delgado defeated Ana Maria Archila and Diana Reyna in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.
Shirley Troutman is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals since 2022. She served as an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court,Appellate Division from 2016 to 2022.
In November 2022,a severe lake-effect winter storm impacted parts of Pennsylvania,Ohio,and New York,causing high accumulations of snow across the Great Lakes region,including snowfall accumulations upwards of 50 in (130 cm) in several locations. In Hamburg,New York,81.2 in (206 cm) fell,while Orchard Park,New York recorded 80 in (200 cm) of snow. At least four fatalities occurred,with three in New York and one in Indiana,and several highways closed after heavy snowfall. A travel ban was also issued for New York by governor Kathy Hochul,and thundersnow occurred across areas impacted by the winter storm.
