Was he pushed or did he jump?

The chairman of the embattled New York State Liquor Authority has allegedly been forced out by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office as the number of holdouts from the previous administration continues to dwindle.

Chairman Vincent Bradley left the SLA after eight years earlier this week, the Times-Union reported.

While the circumstances of his departure are not confirmed, three sources familiar with the matter told the outlet that Bradley was ousted by the governor’s office.

Spokespeople for Gov. Hochul and the SLA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for a comment on Friday afternoon.

Bradley was one of the last holdouts from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration. 

His departure sees the remaining former Cuomo staffers dwindle to include Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez and Dept. of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon – both of whom are regularly pictured with Hochul.

Bradley is expected to be replaced by Lily M. Fan, a New York City attorney and Tony Award-winning producer, who is currently on her second term as an SLA commissioner, the Times-Union said.

Bradley’s exit comes as efforts have stalled in the state Legislature to overhaul New York’s antiquated alcohol laws – including new legislation to legalize the sale of wine in supermarkets – before the last scheduled day of the 2023 legislative session have largely stalled.

During his eight-year tenure, Bradley cultivated a reputation for being a blunt leader who buttressed the powers of the chairmanship while guiding the SLA through pandemic-era rules and the results of the Commission to Study Reform of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, which was issued last month.

“He’s one of the best chairmen I’ve worked with in 39 years,” Scott Wexler, the executive director of the Empire State Restaurant & Tavern Association, told the Times-Union.

Wexler credited Bradley with improving conditions for the public and our members” with free trainings on regulations, compliance, and prevention of alcohol sales to underage patrons.

Even Empire Wine & Spirits owner Brad Junco, who engaged in a yearslong legal tussle with the SLA over interstate wine shipping, said Bradley’s departure was “a loss for the agency.”

“He was always a pretty level-headed guy,” Junco admitted.

Bradley’s vocal detractors includes Sen. James Skoufis (D-Orange County), a alcohol law reform advocate who introduced an omnibus bill to enact many of the commission’s recommendations.

“I have absolutely nothing nice to say about Chairman Bradley,” he told the Times-Union, adding that he sees the SLA as “completely incompetent.”

“I look forward to new leadership and then a new chapter,” he said.

“On a personal level, I like Lily Fan. I think that, if confirmed, she will bring a sense of decency and interpersonal skill that has not existed for a long time at the SLA.

“However, I am still looking for commitments from Ms. Fan that she is going to operate in a very different manner and get the SLA to operate in a very different manner.”

Skoufis said that, even with Bradley’s exit, “it would be a really steep climb” for the omnibus bill to pass before the June 8 deadline.

“If and when we ever get to that point, we definitely will be talking extensively with them,” he confirmed.

One attorney with decades of experience appearing before the SLA panel told the outlet that Bradley “asked questions that show he’s not familiar with the particulars or aren’t relevant at all, and he was always shooting from the hip with his decisions.”

Fan, meanwhile, “asks good questions and seems to have actually read the file.”

“You never knew what you were going to get from him, especially in the last few years. Some of the fines he wanted — for seemingly minor offenses, first-time offenses — were shocking,” another attorney added.

One of their clients, the attorney recalled, was threatened with $10,000 for a first-time offense – an exorbitant amount that would likely have put the small restaurant out of business.

Assemblyperson Pat Fahy (D-Albany) echoed widespread complaints that Bradley became too heavy-handed in recent years – particularly when enforcing pandemic-era regulations.

Fahy, who pushed for laws to allow movie theaters to sell alcohol and restaurants to sell wine and spirits to-go, said she remained “obsessive” about advocating for small businesses like bars and restaurants.

“We want strict but not overly aggressive enforcement. There’s a big difference,” she told the Times-Union.

Wexler agreed that Bradley seemed more arrogant in recent years, but said that he and SLA CEO Sharif Kabir generally handled the day-to-day demands of the agency very well.

“They have to balance the needs of the public with the needs of the industry,” he noted. 

“They have to consider public health and safety and also try to create an environment that helps the economic viability of tens of thousands of small businesses. It’s very tricky and challenging.”