Is Today David Paterson’s Last Day In Office? Plus! Who Is Richard Ravitch?
Is this Gov. David Paterson’s last day in office? The New York Times‘ ongoing blockbuster investigation of our beleaguered governor is less a blockbuster at this point than the political equivalent of the Friday The 13th franchise, with each installment gorier than the last. Today’s story however, may be the final nail in the coffin. Perhaps now might be a good time to brush up on New York State’s governor succession rules.
The Times went live last night (just in time for the Post to whip up a relevant cover) with a report that Paterson, himself, had personally asked state employees to contact the woman involved in the abuse case with his close aide David W. Johnson. From the article:
Mr. Paterson instructed his press secretary, Marissa Shorenstein, to ask the woman to publicly describe the episode as nonviolent, according to a third person, who was briefed on the matter. That description would contradict the woman’s accounts to the police and in court.
Mr. Paterson also enlisted another state employee, Deneane Brown, a friend of both the governor and the accuser, to make contact with the woman before she was due in court to finalize an order of protection against the aide, David W. Johnson, the two people with direct knowledge said. Ms. Brown, an employee of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, reached out to the woman on more than one occasion over a period of several days and arranged a phone call between the governor and the woman, Mr. Johnson’s companion.
So much for Paterson’s “oath” last week that he did nothing wrong. Anyway, I don’t really see how Paterson gets out of this. At this rate, he (and probably everyone else, for that matter) has to be greeting every day in fear of what else the Times has dug up. Ben Smith reports that if the allegations are true Paterson could face charges of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. There’s no word if Paterson plans to respond to yesterday’s story or when, but I have a hard time imagining we won’t have some news by the end of the day.
On that note. Who’s next? If Paterson does resign the next person in line is Lieutenant Governor Richard ‘Dick’ Ravitch. It gets better. Ravitch, himself is not an elected official. He was “appointed” Lieutenant Governor back in March of 2008 when Paterson left the position to assume governorship after the Spitzer debacle. From Wikipedia (and really, I’m not sure even Aaron Sorkin could make this stuff up):
Since there is no provision for filling the office of the lieutenant governor in case of vacancy, it was filled on an acting basis by leaders of the state Senate. During the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis, in an attempt to break a legislative stalemate, Paterson appointed Ravitch to the position of Lieutenant Governor of New York. Ravitch was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor at 8 pm on July 8, 2009, while eating dinner at Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn.
Several months of legal challenges followed the appointment. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo had previously stated that the governor does not have the authority to appoint a lieutenant governor…There were several rulings on the matter. On July 21, 2009, New York Supreme Court Justice William R. LaMarca issued a preliminary injunction against Ravitch performing any duties of the office….On September 22, 2009, New York State’s highest Court, the New York Court of Appeals, ruled that the governor may appoint a lieutenant governor in the event of a vacancy.
Are you rethinking a Paterson resignation yet? Anybody wishing we hadn’t been so quick to ditch Spitzer? Actually, I wonder if Spitzer is tempted right now to through his hat back in the ring, illicit sex doesn’t seem so bad anymore, not when compared to utter incompetence. The above emphasis is mine by the way, at the rate we’re going it would seem painfully fitting if Ravitch was again sworn into the Governor’s office over steak at Peter Luger’s.
