USA TODAY - N.Y. to inaugurate new gov. after scandal

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ALBANY, N.Y.
By Joseph Spector, Gannett News Service

Governors from New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts as well as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer will be among the dignitaries attending Gov. David Paterson's swearing-in ceremony today.

The showing will be unprecedented for a governor's swearing in, but this is no ordinary event.

Paterson is expected to give a 20-minute speech shortly after 1 p.m. in the Assembly chambers and call for a new confidence in state government after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resignation takes effect Monday. Spitzer announced his resignation Wednesday after allegedly being a participant in a prostitution ring.

Paterson, who is legally blind, will become the state's first African-American governor. His speech is expected to draw on overcoming his own personal challenges to reassure New Yorkers that the state will overcome this tumultuous time.

And Paterson will have many leaders cheering him on as he becomes New York's 55th governor. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a friend who was that state's first African-American governor, will be on hand.

Also in attendance will be New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine and Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, who faced a similar set of challenges when as lieutenant governor took over for disgraced Gov. John Rowland.

Clinton, Schumer and former Republican governor George Pataki will join other New York leaders in attending the swearing in. Chief Judge Judith Kaye will administer the oath to Paterson.

Spitzer will not be attending the event.

Schumer said this morning on Albany radio station Talk-1300 AM that Paterson is "very smart, he has a capacity to reach out. He likes people. There are many politicians who don't ... He has the capacity to be a really great governor."

Paterson, according to aides, will also address the difficult fiscal challenges facing New York. The state faces a roughly $4.6 billion deficit that could get worse as the national economy continues to suffer.

The state's 2008-09 fiscal year starts April 1, giving Paterson just two weeks to reach a budget deal with the state Legislature.

Paterson, of Harlem, has served as a Democratic state senator since 1985 and as its minority leader from 2002 to 2006. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Hofstra School of Law.

Because of his blindness, Paterson has been spending the weekend memorizing his speech. Aides said Paterson typically tries to memorize speeches and key themes, but also improvises.

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