GLYNN: Cuomo faces delicate task with probe

Columns

February 27, 2010

By Don Glynn The Niagara Gazette Sat Feb 27, 2010, 11:26 PM EST

More than a month ago, the embattled Gov. David Paterson lashed out — not by name — at his most obvious opponent for the primary this fall.

It’s was no secret that Paterson was referring to state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, when he urged a person to “run and not hide,” if he intended to enter the 2010 race for governor.

That same day, Paterson displayed his unique sense of humor by suggesting that Cuomo was “in the candidate protection program.”

Now that Paterson has removed himself from a re-election bid, Cuomo must be somewhat relieved that he won’t have to run against the first black governor of the Empire State.

At the same time, he finds himself pushed into an unbelievably delicate situation. His office has been asked to investigate allegations the governor and state police may have urged a woman to drop domestic violence charges against a top assistant to the governor.

If Paterson is found to have interfered with the judicial system in any way, he could be forced to resign even before Cuomo leaves the candidate protection program.

Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s fall from grace is well documented, even to that infamous cell phone call (“Client 9”) he made from the parking lot at Shorty’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, Pine Avenue, to a high-priced prostitution ring in Washington, D.C.

But how did Paterson fall so far, so fast?

With 21 years in the state Senate — 12 sitting next to Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane — and having his father, Basil Paterson, a respected voice in the dynamic politics of Harlem, as his mentor, how could he end up in such a messy scandal?

Perhaps state Sen. Martin Connor, D-Brooklyn, has part of the answer: “Paterson is witty and smart and he can quote things from the floor debates 15 years ago. But you can’t trust what he says from one moment to the next.”

Many self-proclaimed political experts already have conceded the nomination to Cuomo, even though he has not announced he will run.

In 2002, Cuomo, the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton administration, failed to win his party’s nomination for governor. When H. Carl McCall, then the state comptroller, was given the nod, Cuomo pulled out, but not in time to have his name removed from the ballot.

In that primary, as the Liberal Party nominee, he garnered 14 percent of the vote. That November, he received some 16,000 votes out of the 2.2 million cast.

As a result of that poor performance, the Liberal Party ended up losing its automatic spot on the state ballot.

McCall lost in the general election to Republican George Pataki.

•••

FOOTNOTE: Since the state was chartered, six governors have resigned, five of them to assume higher duties in Washington.

Before Spitzer’s resignation in March 2008, longtime Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller quit in December 1973 to become chairman of the National Committee on Critical Choices in America. He later served as vice president in Gerald Ford’s administration.

•••

CITED FOR SERVICE: Sue Allen of Youngstown, a longtime office employee at the Old Fort Niagara Association, Youngstown, is retiring in March.

Her varied administrative duties included coordinating the army of volunteers that help with special events like the annual French and Indian War Encampment.

Robert L. Emerson, the association executive director, said: “Sue’s upbeat combination of people skills and administrative know-how will be hard to replace.”

•••

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “If Canada wants to ‘Own the Podium,’ it might need to buy it from the United States” — Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, reporting on the medal winners at the Vancouver Olympics.

By the way, that slogan was initially intended to inspire Canadian athletes to be competitive at the 2010 Games.

Until now, you might have had the impression that the message was lost in the translation. We’ll find out this afternoon.

Prediction: Canada 5, USA 3.

Contact reporter Don Glynn at 282-2311, ext. 2246.

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