It’s official: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed Thomas Scarangello, from Staten Island, as the state’s new director of Italian American Affairs. This past November, Hochul faced a firestorm of criticism when she abruptly fired the previous director, Dolores Alfieri, who was hired on in 2017 by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Hochul and her staff did not consult with New York’s Italian American leadership or constituents prior to her firing, and many felt broadsided by the news — especially since Hochul voiced no immediate plans of finding Alfieri’s successor (despite Italian Americans making up roughly 15 percent of the state’s population).