Governor David Paterson explained possible rumormongering by the state police was why he admitted his extramarital affairs and drug use shortly after taking office. Yes--Paterson was essentially afraid of the NY State Police! When being interviewed on WFAN-AM and questioned about Spitzer administration's monitoring of State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's aircraft activity, Paterson said, "I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I will say this: That was also on my mind......

The past few weeks may have been full of Governor David Paterson's admissions over extramarital affairs and drug use, but Paterson has still been hailed as exactly what New York needs as a leader right now. However, his role in directing at least $150,000 in state funds to a hospital that hired his wife to lobby the state for money gets the once-over in the NY Times today. Paterson arranged for his wife, Michelle Paige......

Perhaps realizing he's best received as a leader in a time of crisis and disarray--and no stranger to cheating on his wife while in public office--former Mayor Rudy Giuliani may offer himself as a candidate for governor in the case Governor David Paterson has to step down. Paterson was ushered abruptly into office after revelations of Eliot Spitzer's consorting with literal, rather than political and figurative, whores. In his first two weeks in office, Paterson......

Photograph of Governor Paterson by Mike Groll/AP Let's review Governor David Paterson's first week: Last SATURDAY As lieutenant governor/ governor-to-be, he speaks at the site of the fatal Turtle Bay crane collapse. MONDAY Morning: He is sworn in as the 55th governor and receives standing ovation and good will from all. Evening: He and his wife each admit to having extramarital affairs to the Daily News; Paterson only mentions a relationship with one woman.......

The Saga of Love Gov, Part 2 continues with Governor Paterson's admission he may have used a campaign credit card to pay for a hotel room, but charged it as "constituent services." Say it all together now: "That's some 'constituent services'!" Paterson told the Daily News, "I do remember that there was a time I might have had to use the [campaign] card because my other [personal] card didn't work," but the News found "a......

Governor David Paterson hoped his and his wife's admission that they had extramarital affairs meant that everyone could move on. Other politicians certainly want to move on and constituents generally don't think it's a big deal (Hookergate fatigue?), but now that the tabloids have license to run with it, it means details (and long cover headlines) galore! One of the women Paterson had an affair with worked for under Governor Spitzer, when Spitzer was......

During his first full day as Governor, David Paterson and his wife Michelle held a press conference discussing their infidelities, with Paterson explaining, "I didn't want it hanging over my head. I didn't want to be compromised." Honest? Yes. Bizarre? that too! Following up on their joint interview in today's Daily News, Paterson admitted to having many affairs, but apparently only after learning wife Michelle had been unfaithful. Paterson said, "The fact is for my......

Photograph of Paterson, with wife Michelle, stepdaughter Ashley and son Alexander, by Mary Altaffer/AP Just hours after becoming the 55th Governor of NY State, David Paterson and his wife Michelle have admitted to both have extramarital affairs during a rough patch in their marriage. Their joint interview appears in the Daily News, in an article written by columnist Juan Gonzalez. Apparently the Patersons wanted to preempt any further rumors and speculation about affairs. From......

Photograph of Hillary Clinton by HansPennink/AP, photograph of Michael Bloomberg by Tim Roske/AP If it's St. Patrick's Day, it's time for politicians to break out green accessories! At Governor Paterson's swearing-in, Senator Hillary Clinton wore a green shamrock scarf while Mayor Michael Bloomberg wore a green striped tie. It's unclear what kind of socks the Mayor was wearing, but he usually coordinates for March 17 by wearing green socks. But it was a mixed......

Photograph of Paterson being sworn in by Chief Judge Judith Kaye by Mary Altaffer/AP David Paterson was sworn in at NY State's 55th governor today, in the standing-room State Assembly chambers and those gathered gave him a two-minute standing ovation, "David! David! David!" In his speech, Paterson said, "In so many ways we woke this morning to a not so ordinary day. Today like we always do, in spite of the obstacles or circumstances.........

Lieutenant Governor David Paterson spent the weekend working on the speech he will give after his swearing-in as Governor. According to the NY Times, he had been "rehearsing it and committing it to memory," and since he is blind and cannot rely on a teleprompter, "his remarks will be partly memorized and partly improvised." The speech is also be "conciliatory," versus his predecessor's aggressive approach (Spitzer implied Governor Pataki turned NY State into Rip Van......

The abrupt elevation of Lieutenant Governor David Paterson to the top seat in NY State government should mix things up a bit in Albany and NYC. First up is the state budget, and with a grim economic outlook and behind-the-scenes transitions, he said yesterday, “We cannot afford to waste another second. We have a budget that is due and a deadline to meet.” Paterson added he would attempt to govern by consensus, rather than take......

Parades are generally times when politicians come out to march with and wave to constituents. (At last year's Gay Pride Parade, City Council Speaker Quinn and Senator Clinton marched, and Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Spitzer, and Senator Schumer were at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.) But Monday's St. Patrick's Day Parade may have few politicians, because Lieutenant Governor David Paterson is being sworn in that day, too. The Staten Island Advance points out the swearing-in is......

Photograph of soon-to-be-governor David Paterson speaking in Albany by Mike Groll/AP Lieutenant Governor David Paterson spoke to reporters for the first time since Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned yesterday. Paterson mentioned how it's been a sad and unexpected past few days, speaking fondly of Spitzer and his family. He also made sure to emphasize he's ready; from CityRoom:I made my commitment when I gave my word to Governor Spitzer in January 2006, when I left......

State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno spoke to reporters around 11 a.m. The Spitzer rival appeared to take no pleasure in the governor's fall and invoked the importance of governing and helping the overtaxed residents of New York. Here are some of his remarks via Cityroom: For the last several days New York has faced a crisis unlike any other ever faced in state history. But it is now time to move on. At times......

Now that the steamroller is flattened like a pancake, it's time to meet the soon-to-be new boss. Same as the old boss? Certainly not on the surface: Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson (pictured being sworn in back in 2007) is a 53-year-old African-American who has been legally blind since infancy. Thanks to Spitzer's total meltdown, Paterson, who has partial vision in just one eye, will be the first African-American governor of New York State, the......

Photograph of Eliot Spitzer as his Monday press conference by Mary Altaffer/AP Multiple sources say that Governor Eliot Spitzer is resigning and has begun notifying top state officials of his decision and is now scheduled to speak at 11:30 a.m.. Of course, he was expected to step down yesterday, but it seems that after "an agonizing night," his resignation is all but confirmed. (The Times has a Q&A conducted with Paterson in January; like......

Governor Eliot Spitzer is expected to resign, according to top aides who spoke to the NY Times. It's unclear when the resignation will happen, but Lieutenant David Paterson is working on a transition. The State GOP is threatening to impeach Spitzer if he doesn't step down in 48 hours. A spokesman for Republican minority leader James Tedisco said, "The governor has 48 hours to resign or articles of impeachment would be introduced. There are many......

The NY State Legislature has long been considered the most dysfunctional state government in the country, and NY Sun has a great article giving weight to that statement: "The Empire State's Legislature employs more people than any other state legislature in the nation." Well, all that dysfunction has to be enabled from someone - or many someones! According to the most recent data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the NY State Assembly and......