Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will head into his most important speech of the year with a renewed sense of confidence after being cleared of any wrongdoing in a major ethics probe surrounding the now-defunct Moreland Commission.
Westchester County Democratic Chairman Reginald Lafayette is breathing a sigh of relief following Monday's bombshell announcement by the U.S. attorney. Preet Bharara revealed that his yearlong investigation turned up insufficient evidence of any federal crime in Cuomo's premature closing of his anti-corruption Moreland Commission.
And while some state advocacy groups say the closure of the commission was premature, Lafayette says there will always be critics.
With the Moreland situation put to bed, voters News 12 spoke with across the Hudson Valley say they hope that state lawmakers can move on to bigger issues like education and transportation.
On Wednesday, voters will learn more about which of those items the governor will prioritize in 2016 during his State of the State address.