By Christopher Alessi
Brooklyn Democratic leaders continue to rally publicly behind Gov. David Paterson, even as his political future becomes more uncertain with each passing day.
Many of the county’s key Democrats, particularly black officials, have made it clear they would like to see the governor complete his remaining nine months in office. Despite mounting accusations over the past month that Paterson improperly intervened in a domestic violence dispute involving one of his top aides, David W. Johnson, members of the Brooklyn Democratic leadership have argued that a criminal investigation being conducted by former Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye must be concluded before any verdict is made about the governor’s fate. “People have embraced him within the Brooklyn community,” Assemblywoman Annette Robinson said, adding, “Hopefully he will be able to govern until the end of his term.”
Robinson, who worked with Paterson in the New York State Senate when he was the Senate minority leader and on the New York Council of Black Elected Democrats, said that she and other black leaders from around the state “definitely were very proud when Spitzer chose him” to run for lieutenant governor in 2006. When Gov. Elliot Spitzer was forced to resign over a prostitution scandal in 2008, Paterson became the state’s first black governor.
Similarly, the Rev. W. Taharka Robinson, the assemblywoman’s son and a progressive voice in Democratic politics who heads the Brooklyn Anti-Violence Coalition, believes too many people in the state have been “jumping ship” on the governor. “We must see the facts,” he said. “Presumption is not what you get convicted on in a court of law.” Since the scandal broke last month, five of Paterson’s senior aides have resigned.
The Robinsons disagreed, however, on how they would respond if Kaye’s criminal investigation were to find that the governor hadacted improperly. If he intervened in the domestic violence case “then I would call for his resignation myself,” the younger Robinson said. The assemblywoman, though, was adamant that even if the governor were implicated in the investigation she would not call for his resignation. “I would let the forces that be handle the situation,” she said.
With the deadline for submitting the state budget less than a week away, other Brooklyn leaders have cautioned against urging the governor to resign for practical reasons. “It would be better for the state for [Paterson] to govern to the end of his term because it would be hard for anyone to pick up the pieces,” Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol said. If Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch, who was appointed by Paterson last year, were to succeed the governor there would inevitably be a “learning curve” period, Lentol said. Ravitch, though, has taken the lead with regard to crafting the budget, and many officials have argued for the governor to give him more latitude in negotiating with the Legislature.
But Lentol also said that Ravitch’s authority might be challenged because of the original questions raised about a New York governor’s constitutional right to appoint a lieutenant. Right before Ravitch was appointed, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo advised the governor that such a move would be unconstitutional. In August of last year, following Ravitch’s appointment, the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the governor’s appointment was unlawful. However, the following month, the New York Court of Appeals – the state’s highest court – ruled that the governor had a right to appoint a lieutenant in the event of a vacancy. Despite the verdict, the Legislature continues to remain divided on the issue. “So, maybe we could end up with no governor” if Pateron resigns, Lentol said.
But the assemblyman concurred with W. Taharka Robinson that if Kaye’s investigation finds fault with the governor, “he has to go.”
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported today that the governor had personally drafted a statement for the woman who was the victim of the domestic violence dispute, Sherr-una Booker, which declared that the dispute had not been violent and that the charges initially brought by Booker were dropped. According to The Times, Booker refused to stand behind the prepared text.
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