Lt. Governor Paterson takes office today.

[Big Dan]

208

Lt. Gov. David Paterson is taking office today. Funny I've never even heard of him until this scandal pop-up. From what I've heard in the media he's a good guy and easy to work with unlike Spitzer.

Of course the media is making a huge deal out of him being the first black governor, which I find ridiculous. Really what is the big deal? I think it's awesome he's gotten as far as he has with being legally blind that's an inspiration to people.

What do you all think?

[popowich]

David A. Paterson was elected New York’s lieutenant governor on November 7, 2006.

Elected to represent Harlem in the New York State Senate in 1985, David Paterson has demanded and achieved change at every level, not simply by what he stands for but by who he is.

In 2002, David Paterson was elected minority leader of the New York State Senate, the first non-white legislative leader in New York’s history. In 2004 in Boston, he became the first visually impaired person to address a Democratic National Convention. And 2006 saw Mr. Paterson make history again by being elected New York’s first African-American lieutenant governor.

As New York State Senate minority leader, David Paterson led the charge on several crucial issues for New York’s future, proposing legislation for a $1 billion voter-approved stem cell research initiative, demanding a statewide alternative energy strategy, insisting on strong action to fight against domestic violence, and serving as the primary champion for minority- and women-owned businesses in New York. As a result, Governor Spitzer asked Mr. Paterson to continue to lead New York State on these issues as lieutenant governor.

Lt. Governor Paterson, who is legally blind, is also nationally recognized as a leading advocate for the visually and physically impaired. A graduate of Columbia University and Hofstra Law School, Mr. Paterson also currently serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia’s School for International and Public Affairs. David Paterson lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle, and their two children, Ashley and Alex, and he is the son of Basil Paterson, the first non-white secretary of state of New York and the first African-American vice-chair of the national Democratic Party.

[popowich]

What Will a Governor Paterson Mean for New York Development?

by Eliot Brown | March 12, 2008 |
http://observer.cast.advomatic.com/files/imagecache/vertical/files/paterson.jpg
The big question following Governor Spitzer’s resignation announcement today is what will happen to his administration’s agenda for economic development and all the expansive, and in many cases expensive, projects under a Governor Paterson.
Unanswered questions are many. Will he re-review all—or any—of the mega-projects under Mr. Spitzer’s control? How will he alter the budget when he negotiates an agreement with the Legislature (due to happen by April 1)? How will a leadership change on the Capitol’s second floor affect those involved in projects like Moynihan Station (http://www.observer.com/Atlantic%20Yards%20%E2%80%93%20This%20$4%20billion %20project%20was%20approved%20in%20late%202006%20b y%20the%20Pataki%20administration,%20and%20the%20S pitzer%20folks%20left%20it%20as%20they%20received% 20it.%20The%20state%20still%20has%20some%20money%2 0they%20have%20yet%20to%20give%20developer%20Bruce %20Ratner,%20though%20do%20not%20seem%20to%20be%20 all%20that%20many%20points%20of%20leverage%20at%20 which%20the%20state%20could%20force%20changes%20if %20it%20so%20desired.)?
A new governor, even one with similar priorities, certainly has the potential to delay or alter initiatives mid-stream, as a look at the transition from the Pataki administration to the Spitzer administration suggests. Two different approaches came out of Mr. Spitzer’s office then, with respect to those projects already underway: the rubber stamp and the reexamination.
The World Trade Center is an example of the former, where, despite his reservations with aspects of the project, Mr. Spitzer pushed the development ahead (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/nyregion/13freedom.html) without looking in the rear-view mirror. For the latter, the Javits Convention Center (http://www.observer.com/node/35839) and Brooklyn Bridge Park come to mind as two obvious projects that the Spitzer administration reexamined—spending many months to do so.
Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, said in a brief phone call this afternoon that said she’s not all that concerned right now about the state’s big initiatives.
“I expect that it will be a smooth transition,” Ms. Wylde said, back from a trip to Albany yesterday where she met with state officials. “My sense was that there’s going to be an effort to make sure that the important projects continue to move forward, and that I’m sure that, particularly with the economy being as threatening as it is, everyone will want to ensure that development goes forward on the major projects.”
Some, like the World Trade Center, are already well underway and may not see any immediate effect from a new governor. Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein was asked about the transition today at a New York Building Congress luncheon.
“The first thing I would tell Governor Paterson is that all the agreements have been signed, and all decisions have been made,” he said, eliciting a chuckle from the crowd.
A brief list of some other projects to keep an eye on:
Moynihan Station – Those involved with the planned redevelopment and expansion of Pennsylvania Station say the project is at a critical point right now as hundreds of millions of dollars in funds are sought for its completion. Governor Spitzer has played a strong role recently, personally coming in to discussions in an attempt to lift the project off the ground.
West Side Rail Yards – The Metropolitan Transportation Authority had hoped to designate a developer or developers by April 1, and one would imagine the state agency wouldn’t proceed without approval of the new governor.
Javits Center – After a long, jerky, 14-month dance with the Bloomberg administration, convention center users, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and others, the state finally settled on a plan for the facility last month that was palatable to many of those groups: renovation and maybe a modest expansion. The revised plan needs action by the state Legislature, which was included in the governor’s budget.
Governors Island – A mixed-use and parkland-intensive redevelopment of Governors Island, a former military base just off the southern tip of Manhattan, would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and has been on the drawing board for years. The slowly-moving project seemed to be gaining some momentum—a park designer was selected late last year—though it requires a substantial financial commitment that does not promise an economic return.
Brooklyn Bridge Park – Construction is expected to be way over budget (http://www.observer.com/2008/city-wants-more-power-over-brooklyn-bridge-park-project-slides-red) on this project, which would put a sprawling new waterside parkland at the edge of Brooklyn Heights. The Spitzer administration had not yet figured out how to deal with the overruns, at least publicly, and the Post reported recently that environmental concerns could throw a whole new wrench in the project.
Atlantic Yards – This $4 billion project was approved in late 2006 by the Pataki administration, and the Spitzer folks left it as they received it. The state still has some money they have yet to give developer Bruce Ratner, though there do not seem to be all that many points of leverage at which the state could force changes if it so desired.source (http://www.observer.com/2008/what-will-new-governor-mean-world-new-york-development)

[popowich]

Paterson Cheered by Both Parties in N.Y.

All Things Considered, March 12, 2008 · New York Lt. Gov. David Paterson will become the state's first African-American governor and only the third black governor in the U.S. since Reconstruction on Monday. Paterson ascends to the post after fellow Democrat Eliot Spitzer resigned on Wednesday amid allegations that he is involved in a high-end prostitution ring.
Paterson is said to be a man who speaks his mind but gets along well with and is well-respected by politicians on both sides of the aisle. This is quite a change from a governor who made enemies among both parties.
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch called him humble.
"There is a humility quality which is very endearing. He is a good listener, and I believe that he will be a very competent governor," Koch says.
Political Pedigree
Paterson is the son of Basil Paterson, a former minority leader in the state Senate. Like his father, the younger Paterson was also a state senator — starting in the mid-'80s — and became the Senate minority leader in 2002. He was elected New York's lieutenant governor in 2006.
Currently, the New York state Senate has a one-vote Republican majority, and the Democrats could seize control in November. Many observers predicted that Paterson would have become the powerful Senate majority leader had he stayed, so some were surprised that he took the job of lieutenant governor.
And there were tensions between him and Spitzer — which he handled with humor. In a story by Albany reporter Karen DeWitt not long after he became lieutenant governor, Paterson joked that he was determined not to be an afterthought.
"The previous job of lieutenant governor is to wake up very early in the morning and call the governor's private line. And if he answers, you can go back to sleep — your work is done for the day," Paterson said.
Paterson, who lives with his family in Harlem, is completely blind in one eye; in the other, he can see people only up close. He doesn't use a cane or guide dog.
He's also steeped in literature. He has been known to quote Dostoyevsky at press briefings.
Statehouse Reaction
Comments Paterson made about Spitzer not long after they took office in 2007 seem stunning in light of Wednesday's events, when his boss resigned, effective Monday.
"He is not afraid of risk. It is part of him. It is a part of his nomenclature, and it is part of his conduct, and that is what I love him for," Paterson said. "I am one who is a little more risk-averse than Eliot but find that he touches that part of me that wants to take chances and wants to make things happen and make them happen quickly."
But it is exactly this modesty and ability to listen that sets Paterson very much apart from Spitzer, and many in Albany should find it a relief.
"I think David is intellectually gifted, and I think his personality reaches out to others in a different way," says Sheldon Silver, the Democratic leader of the New York State Assembly.
Even Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno — Spitzer's archrival — have had cordial relations with Paterson.
"We partnered on a number of things, and we have an excellent relationship," Bruno says.
So there may be more bipartisanship in a Paterson administration.
But here's a conundrum: the New York Constitution says if the governor is out of the state, the lieutenant governor takes over. If there is no lieutenant governor — which there won't be when Paterson becomes governor — than whenever the governor leaves the state, power goes to the next in line. That's Bruno.
So when Paterson becomes governor, he could find Democrats insisting that he never leave the state.

source (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88200224)

[popowich]

What exactly does legally blind mean?

I'm assuming he can still walk around and everything.

Is it just one eye?

I added some more information from various sources above.

-Raymond

[Kaos]

I do believe one eye is completely blind the other has some vision in it, but not much. That is what I remember hearing atleast.

I'm glad to see Spitzer g, he was a tyrant on the financial industry, it will be interesting if our new governor can do anything to help us upstaters, but somehow I have doubts. Not about him necessarily, but about fixing NY in general LOL

[harryn55]

What exactly does legally blind mean?


-Raymond

[T]he term "blindness" means central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens. An eye which is accompanied by a limitation in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees shall be considered for purposes in this paragraph as having a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less.
42 U.S.C. § 416(i)(1)(B) (Supp. IV 1986).[1]

[Panama Girl]

"He's legally blind." So...??

What I want to know is will he be a good Governor?

That's all that really matters, isn't it?

[Jessii]

Amen

[popowich]

Posted for INLETNY2008:

It is defiantly a great day in Albany, NY TODAY!!!!

I have met this man personally and he is everything that everyone
says that he is....He's a great conversationalist, and with his
reading staff shooting him information almost constantly, he is
usually in the know and already on what needs to be attended to. It
would New York a great deal of legitimacy if he were to hang around
for a while.

[THERESA]

Posted for INLETNY2008:

Why? :confused:

[popowich]

:offtopic:

She replied by e-mail to forums@ (oops).

A little new member education going on in the background explaining how to make new threads and replies, etc. :)

-Raymond

[Big Dan]

:offtopic:

She replied by e-mail to forums@ (oops).

A little new member education going on in the background explaining how to make new threads and replies, etc. :)

-Raymond

Ray if it helps, I removed the thread and PM text snippets for email notices via the phrase manager this way there is no confusion that they must visit the board.

[popowich]

Ray if it helps, I removed the thread and PM text snippets for email notices via the phrase manager this way there is no confusion that they must visit the board.

Good idea, thanks!

-Raymond

[Raven]

Time will tell. I know some politicians personally and yes they are nice as a person but in the world of politics :Puking_Smiley:

Posted for INLETNY2008:

It is defiantly a great day in Albany, NY TODAY!!!!

I have met this man personally and he is everything that everyone
says that he is....He's a great conversationalist, and with his
reading staff shooting him information almost constantly, he is
usually in the know and already on what needs to be attended to. It
would New York a great deal of legitimacy if he were to hang around
for a while.

[THERESA]

I heard a quick snippet on the radio this morning....is there a new breaking scandal with this guy?? Someone check into it and let me know. (at work I don't surf the net I only come to this site)