Caribbean American pol sworn in as NY Lt. Gov
By Nelson A. King
With his family and New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul by his side,
United States District Judge
Analisa Torres of the Southern
District of New York on Thursday
swore in Caribbean American
New York State Sen. Brian
Benjamin as New York’s next
lieutenant governor.
Late last month, newly-installed
Gov. Hochul announced
the selection of Benjamin for
lieutenant governor.
Benjamin, 44, the son of a
Guyanese mother and Jamaican
father, previously served as
the New York State Senator for
District 30 — which encompasses
Harlem, East Harlem
and the Upper West Side in
Manhattan.
“I’ve found a person who
knows what it’s like to struggle,
to work hard, to make something
of his life, and to now
return his service to the community,”
Hochul told the swearing
in ceremony. “That is, my
friends, the American dream,
how someone who started out
with little rose to where he is
today, but now turns back and
doesn’t think about himself.
“He thinks about how he can
serve not just his Senatorial
district, but now he’ll be helping
me serve 20 million New
Yorkers,” the governor added.
“It’s an extraordinary responsibility.
I wouldn’t have asked you
if I didn’t think you’re up for the
task. And I know you are.”
Benjamin thanked Hochul,
62, “for putting your trust in
me.
“New York State, I will do
everything I can to make sure
that those who are living at the
margins, those who are struggling,
those who are overlooked
will have a seat at the table,” he
said. “And we will make sure
that there’s fairness, accountability
and good practical decision
making that governs our
activities.
“And thank you so much,
Gov. Hochul, for this opportunity
to serve,” Benjamin added.
“I will not let you down. New
York State, I will not let you
down, either.
“You know, whether it’s fighting
for safer streets, advancing
nation leading gun reform,
combating the opioid epidemic
and enhancing addiction treatment
services or advocating for
affordable and supportive housing,
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Gov. Hochul wants to make
sure that we all have a seat at
the table,” he continued. “And I
think that you asking me to join
the administration has made it
abundantly clear that you want
upstate and downstate, every
ethnicity, every culture to feel
included.
“And, for too long, people
have not felt included that they
have a seat at the table, that
their issues would be brought to
the forefront,” Benjamin said.
“And I’m proud to say that you
are creating an administration
that will do so.”
Benjamin, who remains
heavily involved in his community
in Harlem, and Hochul,
62, previously worked together
on several key issues, including
fighting the opioid epidemic
and boosting addiction recovery
programs, supporting Minority
and Women-owned Business
Enterprises (MWBE) and making
it easier for New Yorkers
to vote.
The new lieutenant governor
said Hochul has asked him “to
be helpful as it relates to tackling
the COVID epidemic.
“She has asked me to work
to make sure that communities
across the state, particularly
those where there’s a concern
about whether or not they
should take the vaccine, where
there’s less knowledge about
the vaccine, she wants to make
sure that I am part of the team
that goes around to make sure
that people know that the vaccine
is the answer and that, if
we are going to get through this
COVID epidemic, we have to
do it together,” Benjamin said.
“And the vaccine is the key.”
New York state Sen. Brian Benjamin, right, and Gov. Kathy
Hochul smile together during an event in the Harlem neighborhood
of New York, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in New York.
Hochul has selected Benjamin as her choice for lieutenant
governor. Associated Press/Mary Altaffer/File
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