Women’s groups weigh in on Cuomo’s resignation, Hochul as first female governor

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Kathy Hochul will become the state’s first female governor. Local women’s groups are saying the circumstances surrounding the promotion aren’t the best, but it’s momentous for women.

We’ve heard from many groups that they’re hopeful for Hochul to "keep the state moving forward", women’s groups say they agree, and it feels good to witness the glass ceiling break on something like this.

"Just as we saw with Vice President Harris we see that women finding a voice and role in leadership makes a difference in the policies and issues that impact women,” said Marianne McDade Clay, the executive director for the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley.

Since the Me Too movement and the first Women’s March in 2017, women’s activist groups said they feel society is starting to understand the reality women can face in the workplace.

"Governor Hochul will be able to really address that not only from a policy and procedures standpoint also as a woman who has no doubt experienced these things herself,” said Executive Director of the National Women’s Hall of Fame Jennifer Gabriel said.

Hochul, the 62-year-old Buffalo native earned her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a law degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. That hyper-local setting under her belt makes her even more desirable for this role for some.

"What I’ve been struck by throughout her work as lieutenant governor is her knowledge about the state of New York and the people of New York which will be refreshing but I also feel like governor Cuomo had that knowledge as well,” McDade Clay said.

"She is a bridge maker and she is someone that is really going to again, advance these conversations that maybe have been stalled in situations but beyond the gender of all this its keeping our state moving forward,” Gabriel said.

The last time a Buffalo resident was elected governor was Grover Cleveland in 1882.