Suited for the Post

Secretary of State Walter Mosley

By David Mark Greaves
It’s easy to see why Governor Hochul appointed Walter Mosley as Secretary of State. The former Brooklyn Assembly member brings his constituent relations skills and ability to communicate to an office that is all about communicating the responsibilities of what he calls a “very eclectic group of organizations that are represented by the Department of State.”
Some may view Brooklyn as the center of the world, but it’s not the center of New York, which is one reason why Mosley moved. “Living here in the capital region, I have the ability to go pretty much anywhere in the state within two or three hours.”

As he travels around the state, Mosley says he acts as “the mouthpiece for the department,” as he is responsible for absorbing and distilling the information he gets from his “DEPSECS,” clarifying the messaging, and its alignment with the Governor’s agenda, and bringing the information to communities across the state.

The office does much of the state government’s day-to-day work, with critical departments that touch everyone in some way. It regulates businesses such as barbershops and beauty parlors, non-profits, professionals, and even oversees cemeteries.

But it is the initiatives involving “economic development, community infrastructure, local waterfront preservation and development” that keep him moving through the state, bringing information and getting feedback from local stakeholders and from over 700 employees in multiple locations across the state.

So important is that work that the first staff he visited was the Office of Planning, Development and Community Infrastructure, to demonstrate he was “appreciative of the type of work they do, whether it’s installing new initiatives like Smart Growth, which asks, how do we responsibly develop an equitable, environmentally sound way that’s cost effective and sustainable.”

Regarding the executive orders and political atmosphere coming from Washington, he says that while “we have to be cognizant of what’s happening around us” and the language used, “it hasn’t impacted our purpose and our mission, but it has made us a little bit more keenly aware of what we need to know on a day-to-day basis.”

For example, if the Governor goes to Washington, DC, for a meeting or a hearing, Mosley’s office has a role in ensuring that “We’re never going to find ourselves unprepared.”
Speaking of the Governor Hochul’s initiatives, Mosley said that Downtown Revitalization is one of the two flagship economic development programs along with the New York Forward program, “Which kind of scales it or right sizes the grant awards to smaller municipalities that are equally, if not more important, because we have so many more smaller communities that unfortunately have been, over the years, ignored or not had the proper reinvestment.”

Mosley says the most impactful thing he’s done, in addition to “getting the word out and living here in the Capital region,” where he’s able to interact with most of the other agencies “on a face-to-face basis,” is being able to travel across the state.

“I think half the work that we put into this is really about just being available and accessible to people. Whether it’s in the North Country, whether it’s in the southern tier, in the Finger Lake region, or in the Mohawk Valley or in Western New York, people seeing you, and people being able to talk to you, and people being able to engage and share ideas and share criticisms and you listening, I think pays dividends beyond everything you can measure.”

He says he’s also made an impact by having “a really good team that allows me to be everywhere and anywhere that I’m needed on behalf of the state and on behalf of the governor.”

The second reason Mosley moved to the area was to be accessible and in close proximity to the “trained, experienced technocrats and bureaucrats,” who have been there for years and who have the institutional knowledge critical to any organization and that can’t be found online.
“I come into their offices every Monday morning, just to talk about what’s happening, what’s going on. It helps me get a better understanding of what they’re dealing with, and that “they’re in a proper mindset to perform at their best.”

Mosley says another major impact he had is having the good sense of “not getting in the way” of his DEPSECS and their staff. “Fortunately, I have several DEPSECs who head up these divisions, and so I rely upon their expertise and that they provide me with updates on a weekly basis as to what’s going on, where there’s a need to troubleshoot. What are we advancing? What’s going to be greenlit in the next few days, or what’s going to be put on pause? Every once in a while, I’ll come up with an idea, give them 10. Maybe one might work.”

As the professionals and specialists in the area work, Mosley tries to stay out of the way as they know what they’re doing. “At the same time, when the ultimate decision has to be handed down, taking into account all their information and perspectives, I make what I believe is the right decision on behalf of the state and the governor.”
“I rely upon them, and I just want to make sure that I’m meeting the agenda of what the governor’s umbrella objectives may be.”

An example he gave was: “How do we keep New York State affordable for everyday New Yorkers?”
And so in his meetings with his DEPSECs, they began “talking about things that will make the state more affordable for families, will make it affordable for new professionals, for seniors, [and how we can] incorporate some of the initiatives that we have already in existence, and we take talking points from the governor, and we kind of put it all together to make it a cohesive message that’s relatable and that’s applicable in real time.”

He spoke about the Division of Consumer Protection and the evolving world of technical fraud, the New Americans initiative with its workforce development and opportunity centers for immigrants, in addition to the work developing the waterfront and helping senior citizens.
He heads teams of people working every day to make lives better for New Yorkers. It’s a great gig for a person of a certain mindset. Secretary Mosley says he’s having a good time, and I believe him.