Paterson revelations test reserve of goodwill
The Capitol's instant era of good feeling has quickly yielded to a period of worry among Democrats as Gov. David A. Paterson's freewheeling lifestyle claims the spotlight - along with his risky ways of defusing the moment's turmoil.
"From my point of view, this threatens to become a disaster," said a senior Democrat who's been a political ally of the governor. "I like him and he's a nice guy and a bridge builder. What Paterson has going for him is, no one wants to hurt the guy. But there might be a critical mass where all this stuff makes it so he's not able to function."
The concern is not that the man has been less than pure in body and mind - this is Albany we're talking about - but that he could get in trouble for having carelessly used his public posts, somehow, for private purposes back when few were watching. Less than 15 months ago, Comptroller Alan Hevesi was ousted and convicted of deploying state resources such as cars and drivers to help his ailing wife.
Others are optimistic. "You have for the first time in a long time legislators in dialogue with each other and with the executive branch, without looking over their shoulders, and a great sense of confidence in him personally," said Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committee member from Long Island, after attending last week's swearing in.
Suspicions and rumors of campaign expenditures for private trysts and other libertine habits smoldered well after last week's purported "put-it-all-behind-us" news conference. On Friday, Paterson lawyer Henry Berger was saying in carefully chosen words that a review of campaign expenditures turned up two items worth a total $253 that Paterson would reimburse. Now, said a longtime Paterson colleague, "his angels' wings are clipped. If something else comes out he doesn't have any wiggle room left."
COMITY CENTRAL: Say what they will, this man Paterson is stubbornly amusing. Or at least he has difficulty being solemn. A sample: last March, at the Columbia College John Jay awards dinner, Paterson noted how some students had graduated summa cum laude, and others magna cum laude, but he graduated "Thank you, Lordy." He recalled a dean recognizing him as the first student in memory to go from dean's list to general academic warning in a semester. "When you leave here," the governor says he was told with great gravity, "close the door."
FINAL FRONTIER: Coveted office space reserved for the lieutenant governor on the Capitol's third floor - the Legislature's domain - has been claimed by Joseph Bruno, the Senate majority leader, who under the state constitution assumed the LG's duties. Bruno spokesman John McArdle cited precedent on Friday: Warren Anderson, then majority leader, did the same when Al DelBello vacated the lieutenant governor's post in 1985. As for some second-floor LG's space - in the governor's domain - McArdle said there is "no interest" from his side.
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