With the next New York gubernatorial election approaching on Nov. 3, 2026, New York Secretary of State Walter Mosley talked with the Amsterdam News about Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administrative plans to address the state’s affordability crisis. Mosley also spoke about the administration’s strategies to assist families with child care challenges and new initiatives to provide free college tuition.
This interview was edited for context.
Amsterdam News: What was the initial reason you guys wanted to talk to us about what you are doing?
Sec. of State Walter Mosley: I think one of the main things we want to do is we want to convey to New Yorkers on behalf of the governor her vision and what initiatives she is championing particularly as it relates to this budget.
AmNews: So, what can we do in terms of housing?
W.M.: Well, one of the things is that the governor has declared a housing emergency for the entire state. We know that families are looking to find affordable places to raise their families and to really call a place a community of their own. One of the things that we’re doing at the Department of State to contribute to alleviating that pressure and anxiety is one of two programs that we have in the Office of Planning Development and Community Infrastructure. One is our New York Forward program, and the other one is our Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), so there’s New York Forward and DRI. These programs collectively have created over 4,000 units of housing in both workforce housing, affordable housing and market rate housing. And we’ve spread that out throughout this entire state.
Now, we know that there is so much more to do, but we also understand that we’re going to utilize our services at the Department of State to take whatever state funding that we get and to bring it back to the community that needs it the most. And we’re talking about communities not only in our big five cities but also in our smaller municipalities and townships that need that necessary fiscal assistance and technical assistance to attract public-private partnerships to create more affordable housing.
New York Forward primarily deals with our smaller upstate communities and municipalities. And our DRIs are usually geared around our mid-sized — our bigger cities.
AmNews: And what are the plans for New York City?
W.M.: We’re going to be putting in place an additional $20 million that was proposed in the governor’s executive budget. We believe that the final budget will find its way forward with that $20 million in billing tax to create more affordable housing and to complement the city’s initiative to create more affordable housing over a period of time. And we know that this is only a drop in the bucket, but it’s going to be an ongoing commitment from the governor in an effort to deal with the issues of affordability, dealing with the issues of raising a family, as well as making sure that there will be other imminent announcements from borough to borough as it relates to the creation of more affordable housing.
AmNews: Can you tell me a little bit about how that money functions? What does that money go toward specifically?
W.M.: So, for instance, in that DRI, which is geared toward our bigger municipalities and cities, that $20 million is a $20 million grant from the state that goes specifically toward that one particular project that’s awarded. Because of the density and the cost of doing business in the city of New York, in the past, we would do $10 million awards, but we just felt like we would get more bang for the buck with the $20 million, which would complement whatever the city puts in and whatever our private partners or partner puts in. So really it serves as an igniter or initiates further conversations so that people understand that this is not just about private sector money, this is not just about city money, but that this is a combination of city, state, and private sector money that will all take on a responsibility and all will have skin in the game in an effort to build out affordable housing, making the city more affordable, making the city more accessible to our young families, to children, to our seniors, and the like.
AmNews: OK, and then that money would be spread among different projects, correct?
W.M.: That money will be spread amongst the projects that are awarded the DRI grant.
AmNews: How is this regulated in terms of affordability? A lot of people say they can’t afford affordable housing; they really would like more low-income housing.
W.M.: Yeah, well, housing is a component and there are several components within the application process. It’s very, very detailed in terms of what our expectations are based on what you’re proposing. We get hundreds of applications from all over the state in each round that we’ve had. And one of the things that we do make sure of is that the project is conducive to the needs and the demands of the people who are living there currently. So, we don’t want to build market-rate housing or workforce housing and there’s a drastic need for that particular part of your city for low-income housing as well as workforce housing. OK, so we take into account it’s an arduous process. Obviously, we have to decline more than what we can award, but at the same time that doesn’t preclude a municipality from getting feedback from us, understanding where they were deficient, understanding where they need to make up in terms of subsequent applications they might submit, and understanding that, you know, this is an ongoing project is not a one-time award or one-time process. We’ve had multiple rounds and we will continue to have more routes, but we want to make sure that whoever we award these grants to that they are meeting the demands that aren’t real-time for the new for New Yorkers who are living there right now.
AmNews: And with child care, there was a plan for that?
W.M.: Yeah, we have a multitude of issues dealing with child care. As you know, the governor, being the first mom governor, went through child care issues. I’ve gone through child care issues, so for parents, this is a universal concern, no matter what your profession is or where you are on the socioeconomic sphere. The governor has proposed in her budget a $110 million child care construction fund to build and renovate child care facilities. This grant will have the ability to build new facilities and repair existing facilities to address child care deserts. It will also be proposing a substitute pool of trusted, embedded professionals who can provide care, as well as launching a new coalition for child care to develop a plan to achieve the goal of universal child care throughout our state. These proposals that the governor is making are cutting-edge. They are the first of its kind in the state of New York. And we understand that, as mothers and parents and fathers, we should not have to choose between having to have child care and not being able to pursue the professional desires you choose. This is something that’s critically important to the governor in her budget and it’s something that she’s going to continue to fight for in terms of dealing with the issue of affordability and accessibility, so that people can live in the state of New York and actually thrive and just not survive.
AmNews: And then, the governor is proposing free college tuition, but it’s specifically in certain fields?
W.M.: The governor understands that in an effort for us to grow our economy, to support local businesses, to support emerging market industries that are coming into our state, we need to make sure that we have a workforce that has the skill set and that are amenable toward having these companies that just come here and have a robust impact on our state’s economy. So, young adults between 25 and 55 will have the opportunity to go back to community colleges for free to update their skill set, so that we can have a robust workforce that could be a part of these companies in these emerging markets and high demand fields. This is something that the governor is really excited about. Again, this goes back to affordability, accessibility, making sure that, you know, people are not just, you know, treading above water, but have the ability to be a part of the growing and emerging market economies that are entering our state. We’re excited about this proposal in the state budget.
AmNews: OK. My only criticism here would be that the fields you have to major in are nursing, education, technology, and engineering. Nursing and education don’t always pay that well in terms of salaries after people get out of college. So, unless everything else falls in place with the housing and the child care, getting a job in those fields is not always the best route.
W.M.: Right, and I think this goes back to the multifaceted vision that the governor has. So, we know that the way in which we make the state affordable is obviously increasing opportunities, increasing individual’s skill sets. But, also, how we can make it more affordable is having the governor proposing lowering middle-class taxes to its lowest level in 70 years, helping every three in four New Yorkers. We’re talking about delivering $3 billion in direct payments to 8.6 million New Yorkers based upon the added revenue we saw during COVID in terms of tax revenue that the state receives — bringing that money back to New Yorkers. We’re talking about the extending child tax credit, which would increase to $1,000 for kids between infants and three-year-olds and $500 for kids between four and 16. We’ll also have additions through subtraction in terms of the amount of cost that people are paying for these services, putting actual money back into the pockets of New Yorkers so that they can choose what they want to do with that extra amount of revenue that they’re seeing in their household. So, it’s a combination of all of this, right? We just can’t look at it from a singular lens; this has to be kind of looked at through a matrix in the sense that sometimes additions through subtractions will also add to one’s bottom line over the long haul. We think a combination of all these things will make places like New York City more affordable.
AmNews: One last thing, how does all this play out with the current presidency? Is any of this affected by the federal government and what he might do?
W.M.: That’s a question that we anticipate being asked a lot. In New York, we’re talking about $93 billion in federal funding, right? And the reality is that no state can fill that gap by itself or take on those types of losses in federal dollars. But the governor continues committed to making sure that the appropriations that Congress released prior to this new administration coming on board is given to New York and that they keep their end of the bargain.
The governor is currently working with Attorney General Letitia James on new litigation to ensure that these funds are delivered to New York, as promised. And the governor has called on New York Republicans to do their job — because they’re the ones in the majority — to step up and to use their influence to protect our state because when it comes to our state, there is no partisanship. You know, bills don’t come with an “R” or a “D” or an “I.” So, we hope that Congress in their current makeup can use their leverage to protect our state and the people that live in our state as well as our federal funding.