For Those Who Backed Paterson, Questions About Their Own Future
Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:21:00
All the way up until the very end, they were with him.
But now that Gov. David Paterson’s time is ticking, some of his most fervent backers quickly backtracked.
Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes stood beside Paterson in West Seneca for the third stop on his campaign launch. Five days later, she was ready to talk resignation.
“Domestic violence is intolerable under any circumstance, and for him to interfere with it in any way—that’s unacceptable,” said Peoples. “There’s not a lot left for him to do except for get the budget done. And if he does decide to step down, there’s a lieutenant governor who can take that over.”
Peoples-Stokes said she had liked Paterson’s approach to state finances, but the New York Times story about his role in covering up aide David Johnson’s alleged attack on his former girlfriend led her to reconsider. The resignation of deputy secretary for public safety Denise O’Donnell cemented her opinion that the governor’s days are numbered.
Peoples-Stokes added that although Paterson was not a personal friend, she felt let down by the suddenness of the allegations and the press conference. A warning might have been a nice gesture to help her do damage control after sticking her neck out, she said.
“Do I feel bad that he didn’t tell me? Yeah, I do. I think he should have told me,” said Peoples-Stokes. ”But if [supporting him] negatively impacts me as a state Assembly member, I’ll just have to bear that.”
Peoples-Stokes was one of only three state legislators to back the governor in the initial days of his campaign, along with David Gantt and Susan John of Rochester.
Queens Assembly member Grace Meng released a statement only hours before Paterson’s press conference berating fellow lawmakers for deserting him before an official investigation. Afterwards, she backed away from the suggestion that she had ever supported the governor at all.
“My statement was not an endorsement or anything, but I was just saying I was disappointed by my colleagues. I don’t believe it’s all right to tell people when to run,” Meng said later that day. “I have full faith in our attorney general as attorney general or in any other office he might hold. If in fact he does run, and he does win, I look forward to working with him.”
And it was not just high-ranking Albany politicians who quickly moved away from the governor. In the tiny town of West Seneca, far on the western side of the state, Town Supervisor Wally Piotrowski, who spoke at the event with Peoples-Stokes, still felt that the state would be better served with Paterson in the race.
“It’s too bad from my perspective. I always feel the residents of the state should have as many choices as possible,” he said. “His staff indicated that he was going to be in the race for the long haul. But in politics these things happen.”
Assembly Member Keith Wright, who hosted his longtime friend at a town hall meeting in Harlem once the decision to drop out of the race had already been made but not yet announced, was upset by how things had turned out on the day of the resignation.
But he was not, he said, dejected or worried.
“I’m old enough to know that sometimes these things happen in politics,” Wright said.
But now that Gov. David Paterson’s time is ticking, some of his most fervent backers quickly backtracked.
Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes stood beside Paterson in West Seneca for the third stop on his campaign launch. Five days later, she was ready to talk resignation.
“Domestic violence is intolerable under any circumstance, and for him to interfere with it in any way—that’s unacceptable,” said Peoples. “There’s not a lot left for him to do except for get the budget done. And if he does decide to step down, there’s a lieutenant governor who can take that over.”
“Do I feel bad that he didn’t tell me? Yeah, I do. I think he should have told me,” said Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes. ”But if [supporting him] negatively impacts me as a state Assembly member, I’ll just have to bear that.”
Peoples-Stokes said she had liked Paterson’s approach to state finances, but the New York Times story about his role in covering up aide David Johnson’s alleged attack on his former girlfriend led her to reconsider. The resignation of deputy secretary for public safety Denise O’Donnell cemented her opinion that the governor’s days are numbered.
Peoples-Stokes added that although Paterson was not a personal friend, she felt let down by the suddenness of the allegations and the press conference. A warning might have been a nice gesture to help her do damage control after sticking her neck out, she said.
“Do I feel bad that he didn’t tell me? Yeah, I do. I think he should have told me,” said Peoples-Stokes. ”But if [supporting him] negatively impacts me as a state Assembly member, I’ll just have to bear that.”
Peoples-Stokes was one of only three state legislators to back the governor in the initial days of his campaign, along with David Gantt and Susan John of Rochester.
Queens Assembly member Grace Meng released a statement only hours before Paterson’s press conference berating fellow lawmakers for deserting him before an official investigation. Afterwards, she backed away from the suggestion that she had ever supported the governor at all.
“My statement was not an endorsement or anything, but I was just saying I was disappointed by my colleagues. I don’t believe it’s all right to tell people when to run,” Meng said later that day. “I have full faith in our attorney general as attorney general or in any other office he might hold. If in fact he does run, and he does win, I look forward to working with him.”
And it was not just high-ranking Albany politicians who quickly moved away from the governor. In the tiny town of West Seneca, far on the western side of the state, Town Supervisor Wally Piotrowski, who spoke at the event with Peoples-Stokes, still felt that the state would be better served with Paterson in the race.
“It’s too bad from my perspective. I always feel the residents of the state should have as many choices as possible,” he said. “His staff indicated that he was going to be in the race for the long haul. But in politics these things happen.”
Assembly Member Keith Wright, who hosted his longtime friend at a town hall meeting in Harlem once the decision to drop out of the race had already been made but not yet announced, was upset by how things had turned out on the day of the resignation.
But he was not, he said, dejected or worried.
“I’m old enough to know that sometimes these things happen in politics,” Wright said.
