David Paterson

David Paterson will be fielding questions at 4 p.m. today Wednesday from readers over at The Albany Project, according to blogger/activist Phil Anderson, one of the founders of the site.

When I asked Anderson how the legally blind governor was going to respond to inquiries, Anderson emailed to explain, "He'll be dictating to an assistant."

UPDATE: Anderson emailed to say he misread his calendar and Paterson will be on the web site Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Speaking to reporters after Al Sharpton’s birthday luncheon, David Paterson said the state is (still) facing a fiscal crisis, but that tax hikes “are not on the table.” He also said that for the first time, all four Democratic and Republican legislative leaders agree on that point.  read more »

Michael Bloomberg's press office just announced he'll have a media availability at noon inside City Hall, where the mayor is expected to announce his support for changing the term limits law (but not actually announce he's running, because, that's technically campaigning and not allowed to be done on government time).

Also, Bloomberg will be joining Governor David Paterson at 1:30 in midtown for an announcement about the World Trade Center.  read more »

In the first weeks of 2007, the two new state officials responsible for Lower Manhattan’s redevelopment were called to a downtown meeting on risks regarding the World Trade Center rebuilding. In the final months of the Pataki administration, the city- and state-run Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center had undertaken an analysis to highlight potential roadblocks at the World Trade Center site, and with new officials at the helm, a briefing seemed in order.

The officials—the eventual chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Avi Schick, and the Port Authority’s executive director, Tony Shorris, along with Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff from the city—arrived at the 29th floor, LMCCC’s headquarters, and sat to watch a PowerPoint with a less than optimistic theme.  read more »

A spokesman for David Paterson issued a lengthy statement late yesterday about Michael Bloomberg's plan to sue Indian tribes for not collecting taxes on cigarettes.

According to the statement, the governor and the mayor spoke yesterday and were cooperating to find a solution.

But it goes to say the answer "will not be found in a courtroom."

Here's the statement:

From Press Secretary Errol Cockfield:

The Mayor's frustration on this issue is understandable and it has been a vexing challenge for state government for decades. Four previous Governors, all with good intentions, tried their best but were unable to reach a resolution. This is a priority for Governor Paterson and he is currently in serious discussions with representatives of all of New York's federally and state recognized Indian Nations to try and reach a resolution to preclude the need for more endless litigation.

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In a departure from the Spitzer-precedent, David Paterson said he’s not going to endorse in next year’s Democratic primary for mayor.

During an African-American Day parade in Harlem yesterday, Paterson made several references to City Comptroller Bill Thompson possibly being the next mayor of the city (as he does in the clip above).

After the parade, I asked Paterson what role he might play in the primary.

“I think everybody knows Bill’s a good friend of mine. Our fathers served in the State Senate together. But I think Bill Thompson is perfectly capable of winning on his own. He doesn’t need me, and the other candidates have been very supportive me.  read more »

Bob McManus, editorial page editor of the New York Post, offered some insight into Michael Bloomberg’s thinking with respect to whether or not to try seeking a third term as mayor amid a financial meltdown on Wall Street, an issue that is getting some attention lately.

Speaking on Fred Dicker’s radio show this morning, McManus said he’d been talking with people for the last few days about whether they thought Bloomberg would seek to change term limits in order to run again, and help steer the city through this financial crisis.

Mcmanus said, “There’s some real ambivalence in his mind about what to do.  read more »

The list of mayors, governors and U.S. senators who have championed and supported the plans to expand Pennsylvania Station across the street into the Farley Post Office is a lengthy one. Daniel Moynihan, David Dinkins, Mario Cuomo, George Pataki, Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, Charles Schumer, Eliot Spitzer.

The project, now named Moynihan Station, has existed on paper since the early 1990s, gradually morphing from one enthusiastic administration to the next as it has consistently eluded execution. 

Now Governor David Paterson, whose administration has generally been defined by cuts and parsimony amid anemic revenues, wants his own turn with the project, and last week he pledged to succeed where prior governors have failed.  read more »

Why has David Paterson sounded so much more alarmed over the grim news about Lehman and AIG than Michael Bloomberg?

Paterson has said he may call another special session of the legislature to make further cuts to the budget, and earlier today he compared this crisis to the 1930s. By contrast, at a press conference yesterday, Bloomberg said, “The world is not coming to an end here.”

There are two reasons the governor sounds more pessimistic, according to Doug Turetsky of the Independent Budget Office.

Turetsky said the state is more reliant on taxes that are sensitive to the business cycle (like business income taxes, personal income taxes, property transfer tax, and sales tax).  read more »

Speaking on Fox Business News this morning, David Paterson said that in response to the Wall Street collapse, lawmakers may have to cut more from the state budget.

Noting he brought the legislature back to Albany to do that once already, Paterson said, “We may just have to come back again. We may have to cut spending and we may have to go into areas we never thought we would because we’re in an unprecedented time in our financial history. This is almost like the financial reorganization in the ‘30s. It‘s actually that serious.”

Which is different than Michael Bloomberg's message to the public yesterday. "We cannot balance the budget just by cutting more," the mayor said.

Both David Paterson and Michael Bloomberg held press conferences this afternoon to talk about the collapse of Lehman Brothers and A.I.G.

But since then, Bloomberg has turned down numerous requests to appear on television to talk about it, according to a spokesman. Paterson, by contrast, accepted invitations to appear on Capitol News 9, and Fox Business News (it was a quick spot and I just missed it!).

It's Governor Paterson's turn for a statement. He chose to lay out the scope of this weekend's events:

These three firms – Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch – had nearly 30,000 employees in New York, paid roughly 10 percent of Wall Street wages, and approximately 15 percent of all Wall Street bonuses.

20 percent of State revenue is derived from Wall Street. While the full impact of these events may not be known for months or even years, the fact that financial services firms that were able to survive the Great Depression, world wars, and the September 11th attacks collapsed under the weight of the current financial crisis is cause for grave concern.

David Paterson held a press conference just now in midtown and said the state will allow A.I.G. access to $20 billion of its assets.

Paterson said of A.I.G., “They still remain a financially sound company.” The assets, Paterson said, are not tied to public money, but the action does require state government approval.

(A.I.G. is in something of a freefall at the moment because of fears about its credit rating.)

Paterson also noted that is not a government bailout.

Paterson said the $20 billion would be used by A.I.G. as collateral for future loans, and should help them get financial assistance from the federal government.  read more »

Much of Governor Paterson's approach over the last few months has been characterized by telling New Yorkers what they will not have under a Paterson administration. There will not be flush state coffers (and there will be cuts); there will not be a finished World Trade Center by 2012; there will not be enough money to fund an M.T.A. capital plan. Money is short, campaign promises were none, so cutting back has become issue No. 1.

But today, invoking the success of projects built during the Great Depression such as the Lincoln Tunnel and much of the New York City subway system, Mr.  read more »

Governor Paterson put out a statement responding to Mayor Bloomberg's Wall Street Journal op-ed today, which called for the dissolution of the state-run Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

Absent from the governor's 204-word statement: any mention of the LMDC.

Saying that he looks forward to a report on the World Trade Center redevelopment later this month, Mr. Paterson appeared to be putting off any decision either way on the matter until October.

Statement below.

I read Mayor Bloomberg's opinion piece in this morning's Wall Street Journal and I applaud the Mayor for his leadership on this issue.

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Mayor Bloomberg called today for the dismantling of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the state's main agency involved in downtown redevelopment, advocating in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that Governor Paterson "hand over its development responsibilities to the city."

 

From the op-ed:

The LMDC would also turn over its responsibility for demolishing the Deutsche Bank building to the already existing Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, a city/state entity. This would help the LMCCC prevent the delays that inevitably result from too much bureaucracy, greatly enhancing the prospects for meeting a July 2009 deadline for full demolition of the building. To increase accountability, we will push the LMCCC to establish benchmarks for progress and issue monthly reports.

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David Paterson is proving to be a bold governor. He has taken the lead in mobilizing and educating the public and other elected officials about the need to cut state expenditures and prepare for the consequences of a slowdown in state tax revenues. While his quip about state lawmakers being “Draculas” and “bloodsuckers” earned him the cover of the New York Post this week, and grumbling from some legislators that the governor was skating into Spitzer territory, the real news is that Mr. Paterson is exceeding expectations in his willingness to deal directly with the state’s dire fiscal conditions. 

In a speech Tuesday morning at the New York Hilton, Governor Paterson pointed out that state expenditures have been growing faster than revenues and that the effects of the national recession will be felt in the coming year when the layoffs and reduced bonuses from Wall Street firms deplete the state’s tax revenue.  read more »

The planned redevelopment and expansion of Penn Station, a top priority of the Spitzer administration, needs to include transportation improvements in order to be a "favorable investment" of the state's resources, Governor Paterson said today.

"What is essential to Moynihan Station is that it be a viable transportation hub," he said, speaking at a Crain's New York breakfast this morning. "If it doesn't include the transportation, its value diminishes considerably as far as I'm concerned."

The remarks suggest yet another turn in the project's long history, with yet another desire to expand its scope. The project, named Moynihan Station in honor of the late senator who championed it, has sat on the drawing boards since at least the early 1990s,  read more »

After making cover of both city tabloids today after he equated Albany legislators to "bloodsuckers," David Paterson backpedaled at this morning's Crain's New York breakfast and called for campaign finance reform.

This morning, speaking at the Hilton in midtown, Paterson gave more context for the remarks he made yesterday, saying that the culture of Albany allows only "well-heeled" advocacy groups with money and clout to actually win the ear of any lawmaker.

"I don't think my colleagues are bloodsuckers," he said. "What I do think is that, unfortunately, if we adopted the right kind of campaign finance, and we started to take a look at the amount of spending as it impacts the operations of government, that legislators would be empowered to see groups based on the content of their information, and not the resources they're spending in Albany.  read more »

Possible mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis threw himself a 60th birthday party last night at the famous Rainbow Room.

My invitation must have been lost in the mail, but one attendee I spoke to said about 300 people showed up, and they included Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Representative Carolyn Maloney, and Republican county leaders Jay Savino of the Bronx, Craig Eaton of Brooklyn and Phil Ragusa of Queens. Republican State Senator Serf Maltese also attended.

Catsimatidis received proclamations from both David Paterson and Michael Bloomberg.

During a scrum with reporters in Albany earlier today, David Paterson referred to some Albany lawmakers as “bloodsuckers."

He is now trying to clarify that remark.

When I asked his office for comment, they emailed audio the full conversation with the press, which includes the governor's attempt to soften the language.

At about the 7:30 mark, Paterson says, “I didn’t say that my colleagues were bloodsuckers. I said that there were certain people who listened to advocates, and as soon as they left, and it got dark, were acting in that way, like Count Dracula, because they really didn’t care or were not about to do anything about what the advocates were in Albany to try to persuade.”

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office declined to comment.

Assemblyman Denny Farrell told me, sportingly, “As a member of the Dracula club, I have no comment.”

"I think what the Republicans have done is manufacture criticism of Governor Palin and then attacked," Governor David Paterson told me before the Labor Day parade on Saturday. "In other words, creating a straw man and then knocking it down."

He added, "Nobody has really questioned anything about Governor Palin and nobody has really anything against her—other than the policies that we think are just wrong for this country."

Paterson also thinks there's an element of hypocrisy among Republicans who are vocally defending Palin's choices about her family and private life:

"Some of these people who now are talking about women working—they are advocates for women working? I have never heard that before. They are advocates for people minding their own business and letting families work things out themselves? Really? That is really stunning."

Governor David Paterson is set to appear on the Colbert Report tomorrow, according to his official schedule.

Paterson's predecessor Eliot Spitzer appeared on the show, and tried to out-funny the faux-conservative anchor, leading to a profoundly unamusing segment.

In practical terms, it should be a chance for Paterson to grab some of the national exposure he sort of missed out on at the Democratic convention last week, at which a) Chuck Schumer forgot to introduce him at a breakfast in front of the New York delegation, b) he was reportedly asked to focus his 4 p.m. convention remarks on people with disabilities rather than the economy, his hot issue back home, and c) he got edged out of CNN's camera shot during Hillary Clinton's big moment on the floor during roll call.

Yesterday, the city named the entryway outside the tennis campus in Flushing, "The David Dinkins Circle." The entryway is that unremarkable circular promenade that's beyond the 7 train stop in Flushing, a bit beyond the boardwalk, that leads you either to the Open, or the Flushing Meadows Park.

Yesterday, Michael Bloomberg, David Paterson, Betsy Gotbaum and Ed Koch were on hand to honor David Dinkins.

"There was a time, not too long ago, when New York was in very real danger of losing this event," said Mr. Dinkins. "The USTA was looking for a committment from our city to ensure that this jewel of a tournament would have a place to call home for years to come.  read more »

DENVER—Here's David Paterson and City Councilman Hiram Monserrate in the lobby of the Sheraton last night after the Obama speech, where Monserrate seemed happy to get to the side of the man who made him the Democratic nominee (and favorite) for a State Senate seat.

Back in June, Paterson named the incumbent Monserrate was challenging, State Senator John Sabini, as head of the state's Racing and Wagering board, ending their primary fight, which looked like it was going to be a tough race for Sabini.

Right before this picture, Paterson was horsing around and insisted on switching roles. He put his chief of staff, Charles O'Byrne, in the shot, as the blind governor tried to take the picture.

It didn't seem to work out. Paterson put the viewfinder up by his eye, but fell into hysterics multiple times before he handed the camera off to someone else.

With the final speaking schedule for Thursday released, the gubernatorial tally is in: David Paterson was one 15 governors to land a slot at the podium at the Democratic convention this week.

There are 28 Democratic governors in the country, so that puts Paterson in the majority. His time slot (around 3:45 M.S.T Tuesday) was earlier than all but one of them (Governor Chet Culver of swing-state Iowa).

New York is of course no swing state, but there's a long tradition of governors speaking at the national political conventions.

Had Paterson not been given a speaking slot—and the Daily News reported earlier this month that the D.  read more »

David Paterson had only been at the podium for a few moments when the cheers faded and a woman yelled out, “We love you David!”

Paterson replied, “Once again, my past is catching up with me,” likely a reference to the extramarital affairs he's admitted to having, although moments later he said he thought his mother was in the audience.

Paterson emphasized the importance of recognizing Hillary Clinton’s accomplishments.

The governor recalled how his father, who ran for lieutenant governor in the 1970s, was treated.

“They told him he was an asset on that ticket," Paterson said. "When they got to the general election, they never even mentioned his name in the paid television campaign ads.  read more »

DENVER—Talking to the New Jersey delegation this morning at its daily breakfast, Governor Paterson weighed in on issues from Iraq to Social Security in a speech that took a strong line of attack on both President Bush and Sen. John McCain.

Going with a running astronomical theme (New Jersey's Representative Rush Holt, who has a Ph.D. in physics, spoke earlier), Paterson sought not only to link McCain with the policies of Bush, but to paint him as more conservative than the president.

On Bush: "He is very far away from us," Paterson said. "Let's say he is as far away from us as the planet Pluto, which if you've read in the last few years, the astronomers have now declassified … and I think historians will one day declassify George Bush as a president because he was never really elected.  read more »

DENVER—Governor Paterson told reporters after a New Jersey delegation breakfast this morning that the Obama campaign requested he focus his convention speech on disabilities, although the governor had hoped to speak on the economy.

"They asked me to address the issue of disability, and at first, I wanted to talk about the economy," he said, responding to a question about his speech last night. "But then, when I was walking around last night, people who had been at both days of the convention said, 'You're the only one who touched the subject.'

"So in the end," he went on, "as is usually the case, the Obama people were right.  read more »

DENVER—In a scrum with reporters after his speech at the Democratic National Convention, David Paterson, who supported Hillary Clinton in the primary was asked how he felt about the news that Hillary Clinton wasn’t on Barack Obama’s short list for running mates.

“Well, I think that Hillary is an outstanding Senator who gave a tremendous effort in this race,” he said. He added, “I never lost the fact that I was very proud of her through the whole campaign, and I’m still proud of her today.”

Here's Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver earlier this afternoon during David Paterson's convention speech, during which the governor praised Barack Obama as the best candidate for disabled Americans and offered sharp criticism of John McCain.

“Wages are declining while inflation is at a 17-year high,” Paterson said, adding that the “promise of America has also diminished for people with disabilities.”

“Which of the candidates will make the change that will restore the promise of America? Well, let see. Is it John McCain?” he asked. After the crowd shouted, “No!,” Paterson said, “No? I’m shocked.” He went on, “In 2007, John McCain voted with the administration 95 percent of the time.  read more »

DENVER--Delegates at this morning’s New York delegation breakfast were given specific instructions, both with an announcement and a flier on their seats: Do not miss Governor Paterson’s speech.

Scheduled to take the stage at the Pepsi Arena mid-afternoon to talk about hard fiscal times, Paterson’s speech marks something of an emerging moment for the governor. Now in his sixth month in office, he comes off a much-praised mid-year budget deal with the legislature, an inner circle of aides and top administrators that is mostly of his choosing, and a relatively high popularity rating in the state.

Just as importantly, he has found an issue that he likes, enabling him at this early-ish stage of his surprise tenure to cement his public identity first and foremost as a fiscal conservative manager in a bad economy.  read more »

DENVER—The First Lady of New York, Michelle Paige Paterson, said this morning that media inquiries about whether she would quit her job when her husband unexpectedly became governor earlier this year struck her as "a little bit out of touch.”

Speaking to the New York delegation at a breakfast at the Sheraton Hotel, Paterson said, "Like so many of you, I have a daughter in college and a son not far behind." She added that beyond economics, "I love my job and I have worked hard to get where I am.”

“I am proud of the work I do everyday,” Paterson said. "If I was the one serving as governor, nobody would be asking David he would quit his job.”

 

Paterson is the the Director of Community and Government Affairs at North General Hospital in Harlem.

DENVER—City Comptroller Bill Thompson said he's open to extending the city's term limits law so lawmakers could serve three four-year terms, instead of only two.

 

"I think term limits are a good idea, no matter whether it is two or three terms," Thompson told me in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel, where he just checked in.

Then, referring to members of the City Council, who are reportedly pressuring Speaker Christine Quinn to support an extension, Thompson said, "No matter what they do, it should go back before the voters. I firmly believe that."

Michael Bloomberg has recently softened his opposition to repealing term limits, and is reportedly considering trying to run for a third term as mayor.  read more »

Here's the audio clip of David Paterson saying he likes the idea of Michael Bloomberg sticking around City Hall for a third term, although he's limited to two terms by law.

"If he wants to run for a third term I think it's a great idea," Paterson told reporters at a midtown press conference today. (A New York Sun editorial today predicted Paterson was encouraging Bloomberg).

At about the six-minute mark, Paterson said, “Mayor Bloomberg, if he wants to run for a third term--I think it’s a great idea. There was a time he wanted to run for president, and that wouldn’t have been a bad idea either, because I can’t think of another geographical location that has responded to the economic situation, which people could feel coming two or three years ago, better than New York City.  read more »

The search is over.

Five months after Pat Foye, downstate chairman of the state's main development agency, resigned, Governor Paterson has found a new leader for the Empire State Development Corporation. Today he announced that Citigroup executive Marisa Lago will take the role of president and CEO of the agency, which oversees major development projects such as the redo of Penn Station, the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park and the expansion of the Javits Center.

Ms. Lago, chief compliance officer for Citi Markets and Banking, was previously the chief economic development officer in Boston and worked at the city's Economic Development Corporation as its general counsel.  read more »

Here’s a shot from last night's fund-raiser for Representative Ed Towns, which took place at the home of attorney Sanford Rubenstein and featured a slate of very prominent Democrats.

From left to right: City Comptroller Bill Thompson, Bill Clinton, the Rev. Calvin Butts, Governor David Paterson, Towns, and Assemblyman Darryl Towns (the congressman's son).

Towns is facing a primary challenge from community activist and former MTV Real World star Kevin Powell, who has critisized Towns for supporting Hillary Clinton during the primary.

 

Speaking to reporters on the third floor of the Capitol in Albany this morning, David Paterson praised the Legislature for returning to deal with the budget.

"This legislature is converting to full-time," he said, and added that if the economy continued to struggle, "it would not be a problem to get this Legislature to come back and deal with it."

Late last month Paterson apologized to state lawmakers for saying, in a speech about the state's dire economic situation, that the Legislature was on "vacation."

“I am not going to have an acrimonious relationship with the Legislature," he said at the time, likely hoping to avoid the kind of combative relationship Eliot Spitzer had with state elected officials.  read more »

David Paterson is facing a $1.5 million ad campaign funded by groups opposed to his plan to cap property taxes. And ad man Jimmy Siegel knows how it feels.

Siegel made ads for Eliot Spitzer last year when the governor was trying to reduce health care spending.

When I played the ad for him, he said, “I got such déjà vu. I remember the first ad 1199 ran was exactly like that. It got worse, but they started with, basically, ‘Hey, everybody knows we got to do something to bring down Medicaid costs, but Eliot Spitzer’s plan is the wrong one. So, call and tell Eliot it’s the wrong one.  read more »

Michael Bloomberg offered a mixed review of David Paterson’s plan to reduce state spending, which at the moment doesn’t include a tax on the wealthy, but does call for reducing aid to local cities and counties.

At a press conference with reporters to discuss local efforts to combat climate change, Bloomberg first praised Paterson’s reluctance to raise taxes, referring to the millionaire’s tax, which is advocated by some in the Assembly, as a “crazy idea.”

Bloomberg said, “You can’t tax people who can move. And this crazy idea of--you know, if they’re going to put a tax in - these people are going to move to Connecticut and New Jersey, and New York City is going to suffer because these are our taxpayers.  read more »