- NY Gov. Kathy Hochul poked some fun at the New York Jets football team on Thursday.
- Hochul, a Buffalo native and Bills fan, mocked the Jets for not winning a Super Bowl since 1969.
- She said the Jets "know a lot about infrastructure because they've been rebuilding for 50 years."
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul roasted one of her state's struggling sports teams on Thursday, roping the New York Jets into a joke about infrastructure.
"I know the Jets know a lot about infrastructure because they've been rebuilding for 50 years," Hochul said during her speech at the Association for a Better New York at the Midtown Hilton in Manhattan.
Hochul, a Buffalonian and Bills fan, drew laughter from the downstate crowd.
The Jets have not won a Super Bowl since 1969, and Hochul mocked the common sports euphemism of "rebuilding" for a weak team trying to shed dead weight and start over again to contend for wins.
In the campaign-style speech — Hochul's bid for a full term in 2022 has been complicated by the entrances of New York Attorney General Tish James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams into the June primary — the governor rallied business leaders around her vision for the Empire State's post-pandemic future.
"Are you with me to preserve and come back stronger New York?" Hochul said as the crowd roared in applause. "And show the world what New York exceptionalism looks like?"
She promised to spend big in the next state budget, promising as much as $1 billion to fix potholes.
"I like to spend money," Hochul said. "Get used to it."
Hochul has been a major proponent of President Joe Biden's recently signed infrastructure bill, touting it as the catalyst for getting several major projects over the finish line.
The Empire State's cut of around $10 billion out of the $1 trillion bill has opened the door to other projects previously seen as long shots, such as "capping" the Cross Bronx Expressway, which would involve parks and other public spaces being built above areas where the highway runs in dugouts below street level.
In a jab at her predecessor, Hochul referenced the longstanding feud between outgoing NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but without mentioning them by name.
"The era where the New York State Governor is fighting with the New York City mayor is over," she said, once again drawing applause from the pro-business crowd.