The King in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2 states that “heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

That statement may apply to kings, but it also applies to other people in power. In New York State, it is most applicable to Gov. Kathy Hochul. Since she assumed power last August, she has had challenge after challenge and she has taken on every one of them.

Coming into office after Andrew Cuomo was not an easy ride. Over almost eight years, she was an effective lieutenant governor, traveling to every nook and cranny of the state. Most people in that position spend their time hoping they will get an assignment from their boss. Former Governor David Patterson was once asked what a lieutenant governor does and he responded, “I call the governor and if he answers, I hang up.”

Becoming governor was an easy task for Mrs. Hochul. Thanks to her abundant travels, she had become a familiar face in every town, village and city of the state. From Montauk to Buffalo, every mayor, trustee, county executive or chamber of commerce official, got to know Kathy Hochul on a first name basis. When you come into office with a reservoir of goodwill, it helps when dealing with New York voters and a state legislature with its own agenda.

Most people knew little or nothing about the current governor. She has held a variety of local offices from town clerk to member of Congress. She comes from a part of the state where its elected officials are grossly underestimated. Western New Yorkers have to deal with everything from massive snowstorms to numerous economic shocks. She is a product of a region where elected officials are constantly tested.

Many political observers were wondering how the governor would handle the state’s legislative leaders.

Both Senate Majority Leader Cousins and Assembly Speaker Heastie have many members who are not open to compromise. Due to recent election patterns, there are now many more progressive legislators in both houses who are anxious to spend the state’s moneys in amounts that are beyond what is in the treasury. They talk about billions as if it was small change and are not willing to take no for an answer.

Getting an agreement on this year’s budget was destined to be a tough job. Thanks to the federal government, our state was sitting with billions in available cash and many inner city legislators wanted to spend it all at once.

Gov. Hochul introduced her budget in January and proposed that $1.5 billion be set aside as a reserve against future obligations. The legislature looked upon those dollars as money to be spent, but showing a steely spine, Governor Hochul won the battle over the rainy day fund.

When she proposed her programs, which included a 10-point bail reform effort, the governor took on a large group of city legislators who had a variety of expensive programs and had no interest in bail reform.

In the end, the governor got her priorities and pushed through the largest school aid increase in state history, a major increase for underpaid health care workers, expansion of the early childhood programs and fresh dollars for childcare initiatives.

Her proposals for bail reform were met with bitter criticism and one of the legislators threatened a hunger strike to demonstrate her opposition.

Mrs. Hochul got a few key changes including allowing judges to order bail in cases involving repeat offenders or crimes that involve serious harm. She helped prosecutors who were working overtime due to discovery requirements that were unreasonable. Overall, considering the number of liberal legislators in both houses, she got much of what the public wanted.

Luckily for Long Island voters, the governor has also established a strong working relationship with the five Democratic senators. She meets with them frequently and has supported many of their proposals with fresh dollars. That is a stark change from the Andrew Cuomo years. If you said the wrong thing or resisted his pressure, you were in the doghouse for an indefinite period of time.

It is fair to say that Kathy Hochul has governed from the middle and has never been reluctant to fight for what she believes in. On June 28, primary voters will have a chance to see if my observations are correct. For the sake of our state, I hope so.