Take a Stand, Gov. Hochul

What does Gov. Hochul stand for — and when will she tell us? Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins says Hochul supports inaction on the no-bail law, though word of mouth suggests the gov has come around to doing something about the way it keeps putting dangerous repeat offenders back on the streets.

Hochul insists she won’t negotiate in public, but that doesn’t force her to stay silent.

Or, worse, pretend ignorance. “I’m looking for the data that shows me that bail reform is the reason that somehow crime is going up,” said Hochul in February. (We sent her that data, by the way.)

Asked about ASC’s claims, Hochul’s office punted, talking only of “continuing to work with the Legislature to finalize a budget.”

So the only major state politicians openly backing Mayor Adams’ drive to reduce crime in the city are Republicans, plus common-sense Democrats like Rep. Tom Suozzi.

Hochul’s silence only makes it easier for the Legislature’s pro-crime leaders to roll her. They’re already playing tough with onehouse budget bills that ignore her requests (which should be demands) on mayoral control and to-go drinks.

Getting modest criminal-justice fixes done now should be a no-brainer; every day’s delay lets more dangerous criminals walk. Playing tough on this front won’t make Hochul resemble the guy she replaced (who went along with the Legislature on this madness); it’ll show she’s a leader in her own right.

If she keeps insisting on playing it “safe,” the state she’s supposed to serve is in a lot of trouble.