One of the most memorable moments of Kathy Hochul’s brief ceremonial swearing-in on Tuesday was the look of utter adoration in her husband’s eyes as she took the oath of office. 

William Hochul is the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York. But it’s his current position that has caught the interest of good government advocates. 

The state's new first husband works as the senior vice president and general counsel for Delaware North. 

According to the company’s website, “Delaware North manages and provides food and beverage concessions, premium dining, entertainment, lodging, and retail at many large venues and special places. These include sports stadiums, entertainment complexes, national and state parks, airports, and casinos.”

From that description, it’s possible that the company could have several pieces of business before the state at any given time — which is a problem, according to ethics expert, former gubernatorial candidate and Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout.

“The problem is, just about everything she’s doing is going to be related to his work, so the best thing is for him not to continue in that job,” Teachout told Capital Tonight. “But the second best is a total recusal by the governor’s office on anything related to his company.”

Which means, said Teachout, that Hochul will need to delegate that authority to her yet-to-be-named lieutenant governor.

According to Teachout, there are several other issues that the new governor could address immediately that would make a big impact on the ethical culture of Albany.

“Right away, she can make sure that, for instance, Freedom of Information Act requests are responded to, and she mentioned that in her speech today, but the proof will be in the pudding,” Teachout said.

She could also allow agency heads to do their jobs. In other words, Teachout explains, she can respect their authority, which is something Andrew Cuomo did not do.

“One of the things that we saw with Andrew Cuomo time and again is that he would keep control so tightly to himself, that agencies couldn’t operate as independent agencies, but they were an extension of his political arm,” Teachout explained. “That’s a culture change.”