This week, former Governor David Paterson learned that he won’t face prosecution for lying about accepting free Yankees World Series tickets two years ago. In a letter to Paterson obtained by the News , Albany County District Attorney David Soares says it was “reasonably likely” an offense was committed, but argued that they would not be able to satisfactorily reach a criminal conviction. [ more › ]
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It’s "Likely" Paterson Perjured Himself In Yankees Tix Scandal, But Case Dropped Anyway
Last year, former Gov. David Paterson pushed a plan to levy a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary soft drinks in NY State, which was repeatedly rejected by Albany, and finally “killed” by current Gov. Andrew Cuomo. So how much money did Big Soda lobbyists spend to make sure that tax never made it into our supermarkets? [ more › ]
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Soda Industry Spent Nearly $13 Million Lobbying Albany
Ever since he left office a somewhat defeated, but still humorous man, we’ve been wondering what former Gov. David Paterson might do for an encore. Considering his abiding love for radio, we thought that might be one option. But it seems he has more collegiate aspirations: Paterson announced today that he will be “joining the faculty” at NYU. He also said he expected to reveal more about his position tonight in a presentation at the school. “I thought I was going to sit in the sun. But I’ve come back ,” he said during an appearance on WOR this morning. What might he be teaching? SNL parodies 101? [ more › ]
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Former Gov. David Paterson "Joining the Faculty" At NYU!
During the fall, diminutive running back Danny Woodhead went from Jets reject to Patriots star RB, climaxing with him going undercover at a Modell’s, trying to sell his own jersey to customers. Now, the Knicks’ high-achieving rookie Landry Fields has been recruited for the same role: in disguise as ” Leeroy Jenkins , employee of the month,” he tires to sell customers on #6 Landry Fields jerseys (with little success). You can see the comically inept video below. [ more › ]
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Video: Knicks’ Landry Fields Tries To Sell His Jerseys
A Paterson, NJ man admitted to stabbing a man in the heart over a stolen Game Boy. The Record reports , John Rosa pleaded guilty to “passion-provocation manslaughter and faces six years in state prison… He said he did not mean to kill [Davone] McCrary and that his actions were committed in the heat of the moment, but added he knew that stabbing him in the chest could result in serious bodily injury or death.” For more on passion-provocation manslaughter .
The House’s vote on the plan to extend Bush era tax cuts Just after midnight, the House passed the plan for $801 billion in tax cuts —and $57 billion in unemployment insurance—in a 277-148 vote. Here’s how the vote broke down : 139 Democrats and 138 Republicans voted yes; 112 Democrats and 36 Republicans voted no; 9 didn’t vote. NYC Congressional Democrats Carolyn Maloney, Michael McMahon, Joseph Crowley and Gregory Meeks voted yes, while Anthony Weiner, Jerold Nadler, Nydia Velasquez, Edolphus Towns, Eliot Engel, Charles Rangel, Gary Ackerman, Yvette Clarke and Jose Serrano voted no. President Obama, who had once promised not to extend tax cuts for the wealthy, brokered the deal to extend Bush era tax cuts with Republicans, citing the importance for the middle class to get tax cut, a compromise that was denounced by Democrats . But the deal passed the Senate , 83-15, earlier this week. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) said before the vote, “This bill, the president of the United States believes and I believe, will have a positive effect on the economy. I will vote for this bill because I don’t want to see middle-income working people in America get a tax increase, because I think that will be a depressant on an economy that needs to be lifted up,” but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) accused Republican of forcing America “to pay a king’s ransom in order to help the middle class,” because it means another $900 billion to the deficit. But, hey, Bloomberg must be happy , even if it is pointless for most New Yorkers . Obama is expected to sign the bill today .
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House Passes Tax Cut Plan, Obama To Sign Bill Today
Nearly nine months after going on unpaid leave in the midst of a scandal that nearly toppled the Paterson administration, David Johnson , the Governor’s longtime aide, was quietly terminated last month. He’s currently unemployed and facing criminal prosecution in the Bronx on charges of misdemeanor assault related to the alleged beating of then-girlfriend Sherr-una Booker on Halloween 2009 . Johnson’s lawyer, Oscar Michelen, insists the timing of the termination has no significance, and that it was just part of Paterson’s end-of-term housekeeping. Johnson is currently unemployed, but City Room notes that despite all the negative publicity, he probably isn’t sweating it too much, because “job offers began coming over the transom within days of his suspension, including one from a Pennsylvania lobbyist.” [ City Room ]
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Governor Finally Fires Alleged Girlfriend-Beater
Yesterday, Governor Paterson, in the waning days of his term, called a special session of the State Legislature, in hopes of getting them to balance the budget. But since actually balancing the budget would require lawmakers to make $315 million in spending cuts, they did nothing . Which is about par for the course when the very same lawmakers needed four freaking months to pass a budget. Lawmakers say that Paterson didn’t give them enough time to review the $315 million in cuts (the bulk of it was aid to local governments, and then $55 million in Medicaid service), while Paterson said that was BS; a Paterson spokeswoman said yesterday, “The Legislature was provided drafts of each bill last week, the Governor met face-to-face with Legislative leaders today and both the Senate and the Assembly accepted the final drafts of the bills prior to the start of session. It appears that, once again, the Legislature is making excuses to push this year’s responsibility further into the future by adding to the deficit that will greet Governor-elect Cuomo when he arrives in Albany.” According to the NY Times, now there’s “another $315 million onto the already enormous deficit in next year’s budget — projected at more than $9 billion — which Mr. Cuomo and the Legislature must grapple with over the next five months before passing the next budget, unless lawmakers return again before year’s end.” But Paterson admitted he didn’t expect the legislators to do much, “The purpose of this session was as much to clear my conscience as anything else.”
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State Legislature Leaves Budget Out Of Balance
Saturday Night Live is opening its 36th season with alum Amy Poehler and too-hot-for-Sesame Street Katy Perry. But for us, as much as we love Poehler (Knope is dope!), the real reason to watch is because Governor Paterson will be appearing on a show that has relentlessly mocked his apparent incompetence , his drug use , his extramarital flings, his blindness , problems in his administration and much, much more. During his first appearance as Paterson, Fred Armisen said, ” I’m a blind man who loves cocaine who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is an actual plot from a Richard Pryor movie. ” Paterson was upset when the first spoof of him aired in December 2008, because it depicted him stumbling around and walked into the cameras—but only upset on behalf of other disabled people, “I can take a joke. But only 37% of disabled people are working and I’m afraid that that kind of third-grade humor certainly adds to this atmosphere… Let’s just say I don’t think it helped.” His office issued a statement slamming the show as well (“This particular Saturday’ Night Live’ skit unfortunately chose to ridicule people with physical disabilities and imply that disabled people are incapable of having jobs with serious responsibilities. The governor is sure that Saturday’ Night Live,’ with all of its talent, can find a way to be funny without being offensive”). Last year, Paterson offered to go on SNL …when his approval rating was 20%. Arts Beat says , “No word on whether Mr. Paterson will go head-to-head with his “SNL” doppelgänger, Fred Armisen, or crack any jokes about New Jersey, a running theme of Mr. Armisen’s skits (though not of Mr. Paterson’s actual tenure in office).” Also, Paterson’s spokesperson wouldn’t confirm the appearance, but wouldn’t deny it either. We figure Paterson wants a chance to go on the show before he leaves office.
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Governor Paterson On Saturday Night Live Tomorrow!
Paterson voting at the Primaries. ( Governor David A. Paterson’s Flickr ) Health advocates, Democrats, and those who would benefit from a bill that would have included patients with HIV/AIDS in rent cap protections gathered outside of Governor Paterson’s NYC office this morning to protest his veto. Many patients say they can’t afford to pay high rents with their disability. Protester James Dean, who pays 62% of his monthly disability income towards rent, said at the rally, ” Even though I’m in a rental assistance program, I’m constantly forced to rob Peter to pay Paul. One month I pay the gas and telephone bill and the next month I pay the light bill, all the while hoping that nothing gets shut off.” The bill would have included 10,000 city residents affected with HIV/AIDS in a program that caps the amount paid for rent at 30% of the person’s income. And though Paterson called the action his “most difficult veto,” members of the NYC AIDS Housing Network are calling Paterson short sighted. Director Sean Barry said in a statement, “Governor Paterson knows this bill would have immediately begun saving our state money by keeping people in their homes and out of HASA’s expensive shelter system…Tragically, he instead caved to misguided pressure from Mayor Bloomberg, whose administration utterly lacks credibility on these issues.” Christine Quinn called the veto a “terrible mistake,” and asked Paterson to reconsider. She told the Wall Street Journal ( paywall ), “We cannot ask people with AIDS in the city of New York who we are legally responsible to house in these cases to live on $11 a day.” Paterson has pledged to sign the bill if legislature made $20 million in other budget cuts, but Mayor Bloomberg stood behind his veto, calling it “difficult and wise.”
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Protesters Rally Over Paterson’s HIV/AIDS Rent Protection Veto