By Don Glynn
To twist a line from scripture, it might be easier for an elephant to pass through the eye of an needle than for Gov. Paterson to continue in office for another 10 months.
There are too many distractions — the reports of a cover-up, the resignations of top aides and the obvious abuse of power involving the state police — that make it virtually impossible for the chief executive to perform his role in a responsible and efficient manner. Also, something called a budget needs to be addressed.
It may seem, as numerous editorials have already stated, that it’s time for Paterson to go.
Meanwhile, Peter Kauffmann, communications director for the governor writes off a recent New York Times expose about his boss as simply “a gossip-laden, subjective, and poorly-sourced narrative.”
Kauffmann contends the Times ignored Paterson’s record: Trying to take early action on the economic crisis eliminating more than $30 billion in deficits; fighting to keep the state solvent and achieving historic reforms to the Rockefeller Drug Laws and making public authorities more accountable.
To a degree, that’s true, which makes his forced departure even more unfortunate.
Closer to home, during a radio talk show last week, Mayor Paul Dyster was asked how difficult it would be for Paterson to stay focused on the demands of his office, especially with his administration so entangled in controversy and scandal.
It is Dyster’s hope that the governor will be able to accomplish a lot in the some 300 days left in his term.
It’s doubtful that Paterson has that much time.
By the way, the mayor hasn’t had the opportunity to build any strong connections to Albany with all the tumult during the Spitzer and Paterson days in the Executive Mansion.
He does happen to know Andrew Cuomo from several visits the attorney general has made to the Buffalo/Niagara area. And, as many of the polls have shown, Cuomo could be the next governor.
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A TOUGH SELL: Bloggers on the Internet frequently inquire about the vacant Sacred Heart Church, 11th Street and South Avenue, and three other buildings for sale at the same site.
When it was listed for more than $400,000, most people familiar with property values said it was unlikely that it would be sold any time soon.
They were right. After lowering the price, however, the Buffalo Catholic Diocese has reportedly struck a deal that will be disclosed in the next few weeks.
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AGING FLEET: One of the rusty National Grid trucks at a Niagara Street work site Wednesday looked like it had been plucked out of a scrap yard in Afghanistan. With the rates the utility charges these days, you’d think it could at least afford to scrub it off once in a while.
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ACROSS THE BORDER: The last time trainers at Marineland, Niagara Falls, Ont., performed with killer whales was 12 years ago.
That question surfaced last week after a trainer at SeaWorld Adventure Park in Orlando, Fla., was killed. Witnesses said the orca grabbed the 40-year-old woman from a platform and pulled her under water before the horrified spectators.
Marineland still features dolphins, sea lions and walruses at its daily shows but the two killer whales on the premises are kept at Friendship Cove where the public can see but not touch them.
