Gov. Kathy Hochul's husband leaving Delaware North

William Hochul, the husband of Gov. Kathy Hochul and a former top federal prosecutor, will be leaving his position as counsel at Delaware North — a job that prompted criticism of the company’s dealings with state government and connections to the NFL Buffalo Bills.

Delaware North, a Buffalo-based casino and hospitality company, announced Hochul’s final day will be Aug. 15. Hochul had been with the company since 2016, after serving as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York.

The announcement about Hochul's departure first was reported by Buffalo Business First and the Buffalo News.

William Hochul, 64, began at Delaware North while his wife was lieutenant governor. She became New York governor — the first woman to hold the job — when ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo resigned in August 2021.

When she took over, Gov. Hochul said she’d recuse herself from any dealings with Delaware North, which not only operates casinos but also food and beverage concessions, lodging and entertainment at many venues, particularly sports arenas.

But watchdog groups said the governor should have sought formal guidance for recusals from the state ethics agency, but didn’t.

William Hochul’s departure could remove a nagging issue for the administration.

“Obviously, it’s one fewer headache for the governor because it consistently comes up when Delaware North is involved in anything and it is a big company with lots of direct and indirect business with state government,” Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, said.

Delaware North formerly owned Jake’s 58 casino in Islandia before selling it to Suffolk County Off-Track Betting Corp. in May 2021.

The company also holds the contract for concessions at Niagara Falls State Park, according to state records. It owns and operates Finger Lakes Racetrack, located south of Rochester and a casino in Hamburg, outside Buffalo. It owns casinos in seven other states, according to its website.

It also operated concessions at the Buffalo Bills stadium — which triggered criticism of the governor when her administration was negotiating a deal for a new stadium with the team. Ultimately, the governor and State Legislature agreed to provide $600 million in state aid for the project.

Delaware North said neither the company nor William Hochul was involved in the negotiations and the company later lost its concessions contract with the football team.

Delaware North said William Hochul’s departure was part of a "long-planned succession process."

The governor, at an education-related event on Thursday, defended the recusal process.

“He's already had recusals in place for almost two years that have been successful," she said of her husband. "We've had a serious separation because we always hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards and always will in whatever next venture he chooses."

She continued: “But right now, I'm looking forward to spending more time with someone who I've not seen much of in the last two years … He's had a great experience there, but also, he's had a long career, 30 years as a federal prosecutor, United States Attorney for Barack Obama, seven years as an in-house counsel to a Buffalo-based company and I look forward to spending more time with” him.

The Hochul administration said the governor’s recusal from dealings with Delaware North will be in effect until her husband leaves the company and executive branch attorneys review his exit package fully.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy