Spitzer resigns - Paterson moves up

Lieutenant Governor David Paterson will be sworn in as the state’s first African-American governor and the first legally blind politician to hold the position on Monday, March 17.
Governor Eliot Spitzer, announcing his decision to resign on Wednesday, March 12, said that Paterson will take office to ensure an orderly transition, and that he will serve out the remainder of his three-year term.
In a statement, Paterson said, “Like all New Yorkers I am saddened by what we have learned over the past several days. On a personal level, Governor Spitzer and Silda have been close and steadfast friends. As an elected official, the governor has worked hard for the people of New York.
My heart goes out to him and to his family at this difficult and painful time. I ask all New Yorkers to join [wife] Michelle and me in prayer for them. It is now time for Albany to get back to work as the people of this state expect from us.”
A graduate of Columbia University, Paterson studied law at Hofstra before working in the Queens District Attorney’s office. In 1985, he won a State Senate representing Harlem.
In 2002, Paterson was elected Senate Minority leader, and while serving in that role, Paterson proposed a $1 billion stem cell research project, advocated for a statewide alternative energy plan and fought for protection for domestic violence victims.
The Brooklyn native and married father of two mainly advised Spitzer on these issues as lieutenant governor but did not play a central role, according to sources in published reports.
Several Queens politicians said that despite Paterson’s lack of executive experience, they believe he is qualified to become the 55th governor.
“People skills are going to make Paterson one of the great governors,” said Queens Assemblymember Jose Peralta.
Paterson even garnered praise from Republicans.
State Senator Frank Padavan said, “[Paterson] He’s a very brilliant individual and has a tremendous breadth of knowledge.”
Part of that knowledge likely stems from Paterson’s political lineage.
His father, Basil, a well-known political leader in Harlem, served as the New York’s first non-white Secretary of State and the vice-chair of the nation’s Democratic Party.
Paterson later took over his father’s district in the State Senate, and had he not run for lieutenant governor, the 53-year-old politician was projected to run for Senator Hillary Clinton’s seat, if she became president. However, Paterson could now choose Clinton’s replacement, should she gain the White House.
Paterson will also make history as the fourth African-American and the first legally blind governor in U.S. history.
As an infant, Paterson developed an infection that left him legally blind. He is an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities, and in 2004, he became the first visually impaired person to address a Democratic National Convention.
“David Paterson has been making history since the beginning of his career, and challenging public perceptions about what it means to have a disability,” said Carl R. Augusto, President and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind, an organization that Paterson worked with for nearly a decade.