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After Spitzer, first black governor in New York history on deck

By David Freedlander, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | dfreedlander@am-ny.com

8:21 PM EDT, March 10, 2008

With Gov. Eliot Spitzer's stunning fall form grace yesterday, attention turned to his less-known second-in-command, David Paterson, poised to become New York's first African-American and first legally blind governor should Spitzer resign.

Lt. Gov. Paterson was plucked by Spitzer for his 2006 gubernatorial campaign after serving 20 years in the New York Senate, the last five as Minority Leader. "He is a unifier first and foremost," said State Sen. Bill Perkins (D-Harlem,) who was elected to Paterson's seat when Paterson rose to the position of the state's second-in-command. "He was the first African-American minority leader, and that wasn't because most of the members were minorities. It was because he's been able to cross bridges."

Paterson, 53, was born in Brooklyn, diagnosed with near total blindness. He has been forced to memorize speeches and get around with the help of an aid. Married and the father of two, the Harlem resident ran in the 1999 New York City Marathon. Throughout his career, Paterson has received high marks from political insiders.

"There's a real hero's journey about him," said political consultant Joseph Mercurio.

His former colleagues were already eagerly talking about him yesterday as if he was the governor.

"I've been here for 26 years, and he's been one of my closest friends here," said Assemb. Dov Hikind (D-Borough Park.) "There will be a lot of love in the legislature for him."

Maurice Carroll, a pollster for Quinnipiac University, said he thought Paterson would come into office with a tide of goodwill among fellow legislators, "an accommodating, we-all-get-along kind of thing."

As lieutenant governor, Paterson has focused on stem cell research, alternative energy and increasing the number of minority-owned businesses in the state. Insiders reported that he frequently clashed with the hard-charging governor, who apparently gave him little real authority. Still, Paterson's name was high on the list to replace Sen. Hillary Clinton should she be elected president.

According to state law, Clinton's U.S. Senate seat would be filled by someone of the governor's choosing. Now, in an odd twist, it could be Paterson who decides.

Staff writer Emily Ngo and the Associated Press contributed to this story.