"Bombshell" to Explode Governor Paterson?

[UPDATE BELOW] The rumor mill is churning right now about a "big, damaging" New York Times "bombshell" story that supposedly features some ruinous dirt about the personal life of Governor David Paterson. Elizabeth Benjamin at the Daily News hears it "will be far worse than his acknowledged extramarital affair with a former state employee." Remember when you first heard about Eliot Spitzer's involvement with prostitutes, and everyone was like, "Okay, so who the hell is David Paterson?" Well, let's get to know current Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch! (We would link to his official New York State website, but, heh, that doesn't even exist.)

UPDATE: The Times Union has pointed out two recent rumors swirling around Paterson. One, of course, was highly publicized (nuzzling and kissing a young woman who was not his wife at a New Jersey restaurant). The other rumor, which didn't get as much traction, has a State Trooper opening the door to a utility closet at the governor's mansion and finding Paterson and an unidentified woman (both clothed) embracing. Paterson's staff vehemently denies all that, but it's also rumored that he and his wife have an "open" marriage and are swingers—a lifestyle choice that would raise eyebrows but probably not a "bombshell" that would force resignation. Casey Seiler at the Times Union writes:

Rumors about a possible publication date for the story have ranged from Monday to today; the latest suggests Sunday, but it’s hard to believe that the Times would hold the story much longer when knowledge that it’s pending has put every other reporter in the Capitol and elsewhere on the scent. Possible reasons for delay include editorial fine-tuning and thorough legal review.
Someday, a sociologist might be able to use an analysis of the rumors currently flying around the Capitol as their dissertation topic. Information from credible sources slowly becomes wilder as it spreads out. Sometimes, the chain of information is circular: A calls B, who calls C; then C calls A, who discovers that the story has changed markedly on its journey.

As for Ravitch, you may recall that he is old and white and not blind, and was sworn in at Peter Luger's in Brooklyn. The Wikipedia tells us his family history in New York dates back to the 19th century, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia, and went on to Yale Law School. Ravitch was also the third generation to take over his family's construction company, and he's credited with building the first integrated housing projects in Washington, D.C. He ran the MTA from 1979 through 1983 (declining a salary), and Mayor Ed Koch once called him a "Renaissance man." It's unclear what role hookers, cocaine, and extra-marital sex play in his past, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on February 5, 2010 5:14 PM

Comments [rss]

wow 14th street

To a blind man and a woman in love a utility closet

is just another swell bedroom.

Greenpoint60

Reminds me of Adam Clayton Powell and Hulan Jack. Déjà vu time.

LB

Leave Patterson the fuck alone ! He's got serious issues running this State as it is .

Spirit of 76

The only way he's running it is into the ground.

LB

True . But It's not his fault . Maybe if that Dickhead Sheldon Silver Worked with all lawmakers he wouldn't be in the current predicament . Maybe if someone stood up to the MTA and really watched those damn books , We wouldn't be chowing down on "Cooked Book Slop" . I'm not a fan of Patterson, But you have to take all of the above into consideration .

youngpro

as a law student, i interned at the executive mansion and might know where that closet is.

however...if i were the gov, i would use the secret door blended perfectly into the wood carved wall in his office that leads to a hallway which leads down a short narrow hall to a tiny elevator build specifically for fdr so he could hide his polio and wheelchair from the public.

just a thought!

hunter.blatherer

Isn't that already filled with corpses?

NannyState

He'll need to explain the hole in HIS boxers.

Bernie Madoff-Goetz

Breaking: Patterson Can See! Incumbent Gov Loses Sympathy Vote For 'The Black Handicapped Guy'; Re-Election Hopes Dashed!

farleft

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Americans are prudes. Don't understand why anyone would care one bit if he has an open relationship or was a swinger. Move on.

gothamguy

Aw s--t, if Patterson gets the boot, it puts Pedro Espada Jr., one step closer to the job... god help us all.

nicemarmot

Meh. Who cares?

valeriob

Big deal he was looking for the bathroom and walked into the broom closet.

Kelles

Hmm...that would explain why his pants were down but why was he feeling up the toilet?

Thinky Think

That's how the not so hot ones get love dear

longacre

What's the point of banging multiple broads if you don't know what they look like?

Kelles

I don't care but I'm curious on how or why a blind guy would be a 'swinger?'

Kelles

maybe because after the initial encounter, they all realize he's blind and doesn't have a clue what he's doing and bail??

Gothampc

Paterson stole Spitzer's little black book of prostitutes and pimped some of them out to Tiger Woods.

Next scandal?

Blue387

Prediction: affair with woman who does business with the state and possible conflict of interest added. Maybe some kinky chum for the Post.

Greenpoint60

Imagine if it were 1980. There would have been a big line of people with $5 bills in their hand on Saturday night waiting for the news truck to show up.

JenChungsBaby

Whatever it is, he'll never see it coming.

Global Wombat

ಠ_ಠ

jamieob256

http://gawker.com/5465211/new-york-times-sitting-on-paterson-swinging-bombshell

Blue387

If it comes out tonight, it'd be for the Saturday paper but it'll probably be buried - to use a phrase - by the storm coming up. The Times might wait till Sunday for the expose if this smoke leads us to fire. The Spitzer scandal broke on a Monday afternoon, for reference.

just saying

Latest reports from the rumor mill speculate that Paterson and Ravitch were caught in flagrante delicto in an utility closet in the Governor's Mansion. (Both parties are insisting they needed a private place to discuss congestion pricing.)

Now we can all go back to worrying about more important things--like blizzard or no blizzard tonight.

gawzmta

Come on now... you follow up "in flagrante delicto" with "an utility"?

Ted

Rumors about rumors? people need to stop being this news crazy that they report meta-news instead of real events.

hotstepper

cue the Scooby Doo ending.

chuzzlewit

awww shit - did he draw on the desk?

Wza

Probably an extramarital affair or love child.

Greenpoint60

I say it is dirty $$$

Guest

BREAKING NEWS: Paterson was never blind. Too lazy to open his eyes.

Gothampc

Ha!!!

allthewine

*habit. Looks like I have my own problems.

Guest

Coke Hobbit. Tolkien's secret novel.

allthewine

Coke habbit?

DanielJ

I have no problems with Ravitch- seems like he genuinely cares about doing good work for the state. Is this article suggesting that he'll be the next governor because Paterson's gonna get kicked out after this bombshell?

A couple guesses: He appointed his cocaine dealer to be head of some agency, he's blind because he burned himself while freebasing, or he spent lots of the state budget on cocaine.

Fred Armisen was right, this guy is right out of a Richard Pryor movie. "A blind, cocaine-loving black man becomes governor of New York!"

Nyctini11

So when is the bomb supposed be dropped?

ides_of_march

Yawn.

youngpro

is the story about paterson, or ravitch? i'm confused...

just saying

Perhaps JDS has gotten a little too carried away with the breathless anticipation of an especially salacious scoop.

But why *eight* links to this (non)story?