David Paterson

With his approval ratings stuck somewhere between Dick Cheney and botulism, New York Governor David Paterson is staking it all on the line with a push this week to have the New York State Senate address the issue of marriage equality . Paterson has placed a gay marriage vote before state senators, scheduled for tomorrow, that could make New York the next state to recognize marriage equality. Paterson himself said that he was inspired by the Maine vote last week , which rescinded marriage rights for same-sex couples in that state. " I think that the public referendum in Maine should inspire us that ... Read Full Story

Governor David Paterson is dead serious about cutting $480 million in aid to local school districts. “I will mortgage my political career on this plan. I will not mortgage the state of New York.” So said Governor David Paterson in a special joint session of the New York State Assembly and Senate in Albany this afternoon. Paterson reiterated the importance of making aggressive budget cuts in areas such as Medicaid and education in order to address New York’s estimated two-year $10 billion deficit. The proposed cuts in those areas total over $750 million and, to be fair, New York spends more money on Medicaid ... Read Full Story

New York Governor David Paterson has scheduled a special session of the state Senate for this Tuesday , November 10. Paterson has placed a marriage equality bill on the session's agenda. Yesterday, Corey Johnson and I sat down with Paterson for an exclusive interview with Paterson in his office in Harlem to discuss that bill and ask him whether or not he believes action will actually take place on Tuesday, and what conversations he's had with Senate leadership that indicate it might be acted upon. We also ask him if he thinks Obama needs to take a stronger position on issues important to the ... Read Full Story

« News: Susan Boyle, Washington, Timothy Dolan, Tennessee, Cuba | Main | Mayor, Interrupted » 04/16/2009 Today, New York Governor David Paterson re-introduced legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state in front of a crowded room of reporters and marriage equality advocates. Paterson was flanked by dozens of New York politicians and LGBT rights leaders. Highlights of Paterson's remarks, AFTER THE JUMP ... Paterson placed the marriage equality battle in the context of the civil rights movements of the 20th century and made note of the recent victories in Iowa and Vermont, shrugging off California and the passage of Proposition 8. Said ... Read Full Story

As you all probably know, when Hillary Clinton took the Secretary of State job, her Senate seat was vacated. That lead to an ugly process whereby several potential candidates made it known that they would like to be appointed to fill her vacancy, including New York Attorney general Anrew Cuomo and Caroline Kennedy. In a truly unnecessary political scuffle, Governor David Paterson gave signals that he would support Kennedy’s appointment and then appeared to publicly “diss” her by allowing (or encouraging) his staff to make unnecessary comments about Ms. Kennedy. Paterson eventually appointed Kirstin Gillibrand after Kennedy abruptly withdrew herself from consideration. The appointment ... Read Full Story