Gov. Hochul’s fir$t in flight
271G taxpayer bill for Year 1 air travel
Taxpayers spent at least $271,000 for Gov. Hochul to fly on stateowned aircraft over her first year in office amid sky-high fuel prices and a fierce election fight, a Post analysis has found.
“It’s very hard to see how this is putting the public interest first, given how costly it is to fly these aircraft,” said John Kaehny, executive director of government watchdog Reinvent Albany. “There’s a long history now of the governors of New York acting like royalty and this is a part of that.”
Hochul took 210 flights across New York on a Sikorksy S-76 chopper and King Air planes — with ribbon cuttings, phone calls and virtual meetings often listed as the official business justifying the use of aircraft operated by state police.
Many flights coincided with “private” events that appear to be fundraisers and campaign stops as Hochul, a Democrat, built a record $60 million war chest ahead of her win over Republican Lee Zeldin.
“I would say it was an election year, and she blurred the lines between incumbency and campaign politics at the taxpayer’s expense,” said Conservative Party Chair Jerry Kassar, who supported Zeldin.
The flights include an hour-long July 5 jaunt on a leaded gasoline-spewing chopper — which costs about $2,500 per hour — for Hochul to sign legislation in New York City aiming to reduce the state’s carbon footprint. She then flew back to Albany, according to recently released public schedules.
Another chopper flight from Manhattan brought her to Albany for a call with Rochester Mayor Malik Evans and a virtual meeting with administration officials on Aug. 22 — ahead of two “private” events coinciding with a $180,000 campaign cash haul for the day.
At the time, some New Yorkers were paying more than $5 a gallon as gas prices soared.
Spokeswoman Hazel CramptonHays said Thursday that Hochul “travels across the state to deliver for New Yorkers because it’s her job. All aircraft use is approved by counsel and follows the guidance clearly outlined in the publicly available aircraft use policy.”