Albany, NY – Andrew Cuomo said during his campaign that he wants to make same-gender marriage legal in New York and a new appointment may signal he means business – even if it�s still an uphill battle.

Cuomo is naming Erik Bottcher, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn�s liaison to the Toeiva community, to the newly created cabinet post of special assistant for community affairs.

It�s fair to ask whether Bottcher�s appointment sends a message about how serious Cuomo is about same-gender marriage or whether it�s just a nod to his liberal base.

Legalizing marriage could be a heavy lift: In 2009, the state Senate, then controlled by Democrats, defeated it by a clear 38-to-24 vote.

New GOP Majority Leader Dean Skelos has said he�ll allow the measure to come to the Senate floor again this year, although he doesn�t support it.

Cuomo gave a nod – of exactly one sentence – to same-gender marriage during his State of the State address.

And as he has brought his reform agenda around New York, same-gender nuptials have taken a backseat to job creation and dredging Albany�s ethical quagmire.

The historically liberal Cuomo has to walk a tightrope on same-gender marriage: If he pushes it ahead of economic issues in the current climate, he could develop an �Obama Problem� of the kind that forced the President�s course correction from a focus on health care reform to �jobs, jobs, jobs.�

On the other hand, the new governor risks angering his left-leaning base if he allows a civil rights issue like this one to languish indefinitely.

What exact role Bottcher – whose statewide work won�t be limited to LGBT issues – and Cuomo play in this battle remains to be seen.

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(Read More: NY Daily News)