All Articles Tagged "david paterson"
Ex-NY Governor Takes to Airwaves
(New York Times) — He came in to the strains of Sinatra singing “New York, New York,” yielded for traffic updates and plugged Sleepy’s mattresses. Yes, on Tuesday, former Gov. David A. Paterson made his debut as an afternoon drive-time radio host, on WOR-AM (710). “I am more excited right now, sitting here, than I was even the day I was sworn in as governor of the State of New York on March 17, 2008,” Mr. Paterson told listeners. “And the reason is, this time I had time to think about it.” Since leaving office at the end of 2010, Mr. Paterson has been a frequent radio guest and guest host, and has made no secret of his desire to get his own show. His first guest? None other than his predecessor as governor, Eliot Spitzer, whose resignation led to Governor Paterson’s swearing-in. Mr. Paterson had been Mr. Spitzer’s lieutenant governor.
Paterson’s Teachable Moment
(Wall Street Journal) — When he was governor, David A. Paterson likened his job to quicksand and doubted that any executive could bring to heel Albany’s notoriously obstinate Legislature. And on Monday, in a radio interview, Mr. Paterson said he was baffled at how his successor, Andrew Cuomo, was able to win the passage of same-sex marriage. Starting this fall at New York University, Mr. Paterson will explore these mysteries of Albany in a teaching assignment, a seminar titled “The Teachable Art of Governing.” The new course will meet once a week for 2½ hours and is open to freshmen students enrolled in the College of Arts and Science’s honors program. Mr. Paterson will offer students a “view into the day-to-day working knowledge of politics,” according to a course guide.
In Plea Deal, Ex-Paterson Aide Admits Shoving Former Companion
(New York Times) — A former aide to ex-Gov. David A. Paterson pleaded guilty on Wednesday to harassing a former girlfriend, capping a series of events that enveloped Mr. Paterson in scandal and derailed his bid for election last year. Appearing in Bronx Criminal Court, the aide, David W. Johnson, acknowledged shoving the former girlfriend, Sherr-una Booker, on Oct. 31, 2009, during an argument at her apartment. The plea to harassment, a violation, does not require Mr. Johnson to serve any time in jail.
In a statement accompanying the plea deal, Robert T. Johnson, the Bronx district attorney, said, “He told the judge that he knew that his behavior was inappropriate and that he deeply regretted his actions.” As part of the deal, made before Acting Justice Miriam R. Best of State Supreme Court, David Johnson is barred from contacting Ms. Booker for two years. In a statement, aides to the district attorney said that Mr. Johnson had already completed a course of therapy that was also part of the deal. In return for the guilty plea, the other charges against him were dropped.
Ex-Gov. Paterson Pays $62K Fine over Yankees Tix
(AP) — Former New York Gov. David Paterson has paid $62,124 to settle his fine from the state ethics board over free Yankees tickets he obtained for the 2009 World Series. The board’s spokesman, Walter Ayres, confirms that the check was received Thursday. The state Public Integrity Commission had found the Democrat violated ethics laws in obtaining the tickets. The commission had found Paterson that contradicted his staff, the Yankees and common sense when he falsely claimed he always intended to pay for five tickets to the first game of the 2009 World Series at Yankee Stadium. Paterson performed no ceremonial function at the game he attended with his son, his son’s friend, and two staff members.
Former NY Governor Paterson Reflects on His Tenure
(Amsterdam News) — As the final days of the historic New York Governor David Paterson administration come to a close, the outgoing governor sat down with several members of the Amsterdam News staff to reflect on his term as governor. Paterson faced unprecedented challenges, including one of the worst economic climates in the history of the state and nation, and an often hostile press corps, which openly and consistently questioned his legitimacy and competence. But despite the obstacles he faced, Paterson was upbeat about his future and the future of the State. As he mulled over his governorship, he said that, first and foremost, he wanted to be remembered as one of the first political actors in the country to identify the economic crisis, and begin the process of asking for shared sacrifices.
New York Gov. David Paterson Fined $62,000 Over Yankees Tickets
(AP) — New York Gov. David Paterson contradicted his staff, the Yankees and common sense when he falsely claimed he always intended to pay for five tickets to the first game of the 2009 World Series at Yankee Stadium, a state commission said in assessing him a $62,125 fine. In a report released Monday, the Commission on Public Integrity said Paterson performed no ceremonial function at the game, which still would not have entitled him to free tickets for his son and son’s friend. The others were used by the governor and the two staff members. He and two of his staff paid for four of the tickets a few days later.
Paterson’s Exit Presents Worry With Each Step
(New York Times) — He worries about how he will make a living. He wonders whether people will value him once he is out of office. But when he thinks about the future,David A. Paterson, the legally blind governor of New York, is most unsettled by something more elementary: how to cross the street. For years, a small army of state employees has done for Mr. Paterson what his predecessors did for themselves: they read him the newspaper, guided him up stairs and around corners, fixed his collar when it was sticking up, and even grabbed a quart of milk for him at the supermarket.
Paterson Reflects on Triumphs and Setbacks During Term as Governor
(The Ithaca Journal) — From fixing state finances and reining in pension costs to reforming off-track betting operations, Gov. David Paterson will leave Albany with considerable work undone. But in an exit interview of sorts Wednesday with editorial board members of several upstate New York newspapers, the state’s first African-American governor and first legally blind governor reflected on tough decisions made in tough times, his achievements, setbacks and what lies ahead. “I realized early on the decisions I made were not going to be popular,” Paterson said during the 90-minute sit-down at the Democrat and Chronicle offices in Rochester. “I kind of knew in the back of my mind, it’s going to be hard to get re-elected.”
After Months in Limbo, Paterson Aide Charged in Abuse Case Is Fired
(New York Times) — He got his start as an intern but rose to become one of Gov. David A. Paterson’s most trusted and powerful aides, with a designated room at the Executive Mansion in Albany for overnight stays. But he became embroiled in a domestic violence case, fueling a scandal that crippled Mr. Paterson politically and led the governor to abandon his campaign for a second term. And in November, Mr. Paterson finally fired the aide, David W. Johnson, who had been by the governor’s side for most of his adult life, the administration confirmed on Monday. Mr. Johnson’s termination, according to payroll records, came one day after a Bronx judge denied a motion to dismiss a domestic violence charge against him.
Lawmakers Resist Paterson’s Spending Cuts
(New York Times) — Lawmakers who gathered here for a special session appeared almost certain on Monday night to set aside a package of spending cuts proposed by Gov. David A. Paterson, leaving this year’s state budget hundreds of millions of dollars out of balance as the governor-elect, Andrew M. Cuomo, prepares to take office on Jan. 1. The package, including $55 million in reductions to Medicaid services and $260 million in across-the-board cuts in state aid to local governments, was intended to cover shortfalls in tax revenue during this fiscal year that have emerged since the budget was passed. But Senate Democrats clashed with Mr. Paterson, who announced the special session two weeks ago, over whether the governor had given lawmakers enough time to examine the plan and review the cuts.
