Malatras’ resignation adds to a big Thursday for New York Gov. Hochul

(The Center Square) – Thursday was a very good day politically for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Not only did state Attorney General Letitia James drop out of next year’s governor’s race, but State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras announced his resignation as well.

The former aide to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Malatras was recently cited in evidence from a sexual harassment investigation into Cuomo released to the public last week. That evidence showed him mocking a woman who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment and his administration for supporting a toxic work environment.

The revelation of that evidence led to a groundswell of calls for Malatras to resign or be removed. Hochul herself had been criticized by Lindsey Boylan – the woman mocked by Malatras after she started coming forward with her accusation – after the governor said she could not remove Malatras because he was not officially part of her administration.

When taking office, Hochul pledged to end the toxic atmosphere in the executive chamber and vowed that people named in the harassment report would not be part of her administration.

While SUNY may not be part of her administration, Hochul confirmed to reporters Thursday she called SUNY Board of Trustees Chair Merryl Tisch the day before.

Hochul wouldn’t go into the details of the conversation she had. Still, she said it was “an important conversation to have” regarding the system’s future. She also gave some insights into how her administration handles matters differently from Cuomo’s more-combative approach during his term.

“With respect to not publicly calling out for certain things, I think you understand that the position of the governor is not to stand out and make proclamations and statements,” she said. “I’m more inclined to work behind the scenes and focus on results, and that is what I’m going to continue to do.”

Malatras did not mention the evidence from the independent investigation that led to Cuomo’s downfall last August in his resignation letter. Instead, he noted that “recent events surrounding me” became a distraction for the 64-school college system.

“I believe deeply in an individual’s ability to evolve, change and grow, but I also believe deeply in SUNY and would never want to be an impediment to its success,” Malatras said in a letter to Tisch.

Malatras’ resignation will take effect Jan. 14.

The SUNY board thanked Malatras for his service and leadership in its statement.

“The past two years have been among the most trying in SUNY’s history—and Jim’s leadership and collaboration with our faculty and staff have allowed our institution to continue to thrive and serve our nearly 400,000 students at 64 campuses across our state safely and in person,” the board’s statement read. “He has been a champion for our students, for access, for equity, and for deeper public investment in this great institution.”

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