By Joseph M. Calisi ©2021 All Rights Reserved
Albany, NY, November 17, 2021
It appears New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is backtracking after facing the outrage by the Italian American community when she fired the popular state director for Italian-American Affairs, Dolores Alfieri.
Recently, Democrat Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi joined the howl by increasing members of the Italian American community and leadership by criticizing Hochul for the firing. He added that the office is important to the Italian American community.
As written in the NY Post (https://nypost.com/2021/11/16/hochul-pledges-new-italian-american-affairs-director-amid-backlash/) on Nov. 16th, it was disclosed that Hochul intended to eliminate the Italian-American Affairs office as part of the restructuring of the chief executive’s office.
As a result, Hochul spokesman Avi Small said on the evening of November 16th, “Governor Hochul has committed to finding the best possible team to lead the state forward, and we have been working to fill the role of Director of Italian American Affairs as part of our constituency team’s efforts to engage with New York’s diverse communities.”
As part of the announcement, a new Director of Italian American Affairs will be appointed shortly after communicating with the Italian American community.
Alfieri subsequently stated she was happy with the news the governor reconsidered her position on the firing and the elimination of the office, terming it a victory for the Italian American community.
Exactly when a successor would be named, no specific date but said it would be in the near future.
