In NY, if Gov . Paterson is unable to finish his term, who becomes governor?

[bijou]

PaulHo  (1000+ posts)      Sat Mar-22-08 12:13 PM
Original message
In NY, if Gov . Paterson is unable to finish his term, who becomes governor?
 Hopefully, he will ride out the storm. But numerous extramaritals have come to light and it may be a matter of time before it becomes apparent that laws ( i.e. campaign finance, using public moneys, improperly intervening to get people state jobs, etc. etc. ) were broken in connection to same.

In that event, who succeeds the NY Gov. when there is no Lt. Gov.? Please tell me it's not the senate majority leader.


On a broader level, anyone care to speculate why the NY Party is such a complete moral and ethical shambles?
 

BklynChick (131 posts)      Sat Mar-22-08 12:14 PM
Response to Original message
1. It is the Senate Majority Leader Bruno, which is horrible. But he's under investigation
 and from what I hear, has had several girlfriends as well. What a mess.

annabanana  (1000+ posts)       Sat Mar-22-08 12:40 PM
Response to Original message
8. Oh Lord, It's Bruno.. one of the slimiest pols ever to sink into
 Albany's swamp and make himself at home. He's horrid.
 

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3045723#3045725

I expect they'll do everything possible to prop up Paterson, as even Dems don't care for the alternative.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Hm-m-m...

[edit] 2007 legislative session
At the start of the 2007 session, it appeared the highly popular incoming Governor Eliot Spitzer would be able to enact an ambitious reform agenda over the opposition of a weakened Bruno. However, the 2007 state budget was deemed by many as similar to the budgets approved during the Pataki years, which some dubbed a victory for Bruno.

In April Bruno also appeared to hold veto power over two other Spitzer initiatives: gay marriage[4] and campaign finance reform[5]. He challenged Spitzer to restore the state's death penalty law.[6] He also has criticized the Governor's plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, claiming it was aimed at stuffing the ballot box with Democratic voters.[7]


[edit] Police surveillance controversy
Main article: Eliot Spitzer political surveillance controversy
On July 23, 2007, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo admonished Governor Eliot Spitzer's administration for ordering the State Police to track Bruno's travel records, particularly his use of a state helicopter. [8] At the direction of top officials of the Spitzer administration, the New York State Police created documents meant to cause political damage to Bruno.[9] The governor's staff had stated they were responding to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Times-Union of Albany in late June.[8][10] On May 23, Spitzer's Communications Director Darren Dopp wrote Rich Baum, a senior Spitzer adviser, that "records exist going way back"[11] about Bruno's use of state aircraft, and that "Also, I think there is a new and different way to proceed re media. Will explain tomorrow."[10] Dopp later wrote another e-mail to Baum after a story ran in the Times-Union about a federal grand jury investigation of Bruno's investments in thoroughbred racing horses, and wrote: "Think travel story would fit nicely in the mix."[11][10]

A 57-page report issued by the Attorney General's office concluded that Spitzer aides attempted to create negative media coverage concerning Bruno's travel before any Freedom of Information request was made.[12] The investigation looked into both Bruno's travel and the senate leader's allegation that Spitzer used State Police to spy on him.[13] Cuomo concluded that "These e-mails show that persons in the governor's office did not merely produce records under a FOIL request, but were instead engaged in planning and producing media coverage concerning Senator Bruno's travel on state aircraft before any FOIL request was made."[11][14] It noted that the Times-Union's initial FOIL request didn't even ask for the records involving Bruno that the paper was later given by aides to Spitzer.[15] The Times-Union's requests sought documents on use of state aircraft by seven officials, including Spitzer, Bruno and Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson, yet Spitzer’s office released only Bruno's itinerary.[16] The Spitzer administration and the State Police provided far more details about Bruno than about other officials to the Times-Union, including records to reply to a request under the state’s Freedom of Information laws, though no such request had even been made.[17] The report noted that the state acted outside the laws in what it released, such as documents that resembled official state travel records, “which they were not" according to Ellen Nachtigall Biben, a former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, who contributed to the report.[16] The report stated that the Times-Union request came after the story about Bruno’s travels was published, and was "not consistent" with Spitzer administration claims that all it did was respond to a FOIA request.[18] No other officials were subject to the same scrutiny as Bruno, and in some cases, the reports created by State Police were pieced together long after the trips, based on the sometimes on the memory of the police escorts involved.[19]

The report cleared Bruno of any legal violations in his use of the state's air fleet.[20][21][22][9] Spitzer also used the state aircraft during the first six months of his term as governor for political purposes, including a stop in Rochester to attend an event for the Monroe County Democratic Committee on a day in which he had a number of stops related to public business.[19] The report criticized Spitzer's office for using State Police resources to gather information about Bruno's travel and releasing the information to the media.[21]

Spitzer responded at a July 23 press conference that "As governor, I am accountable for what goes on in the executive branch and I accept responsibility for the actions of my office"[8] and that his administration had "grossly mishandled"[8] the situation.[22] Spitzer issued an apology to Bruno and stated that "I apologized to Senator Bruno and I did so personally this morning."[8]

However, Spitzer's apology did not end the dispute: as of March 2008, four probes by the state Attorney General's office, the State Senate Investigations Committee, the Albany County District Attorney's office, and the state ethics board, the New York Commission on Public Integrity, are ongoing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bruno

[Chris_]

Hm-m-m...

Gee, I wonder why the DUmmies don't like him. 

 

[BlueStateSaint]

Yes, it'll go to Senator Bruno . . . which means that Gov. Paterson is going to be held close to Albany.

[Chris_]

Don't look now, but this little bit of news came out today...

Spitzer Pushed Staff’s Effort to Smear Bruno

Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer was deeply involved in his administration’s efforts last year to discredit the State Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, holding detailed discussions with senior aides, ordering damaging information about Mr. Bruno released, and calling an aide at home repeatedly to check on the progress, according to several people with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Testimony and other information gathered by the Albany County district attorney, P. David Soares, indicate that the governor’s participation was extensive and reflected Mr. Spitzer’s intense desire to damage Mr. Bruno, the people with knowledge of the case said.

Looks like the DUmmies aren't the only ones who don't like Bruno.

[Miss Mia]

Wouldn't NY have an election for a new Lt Gov or does Bruno just get to serve it until the next regular election for it?

[Chris_]

Wouldn't NY have an election for a new Lt Gov or does Bruno Patterson just get to serve it until the next regular election for it?

Not sure; I haven't heard anything about a special election.  He may just serve the remainder of Spitzer's term.

Carl's from NY.  Maybe he knows.

[Miss Mia]

Wouldn't NY have an election for a new Lt Gov or does Bruno Patterson just get to serve it until the next regular election for it?

Not sure; I haven't heard anything about a special election.  He may just serve the remainder of Spitzer's term.

Carl's from NY.  Maybe he knows.

In Texas there would be an election during the next statewide election, so November I'd guess. 

[Lauri]

that is so sad that nobody on either side of the aisle even gets pissed about this stuff anymore.. we just expect it from our paid leaders. 

[BlueStateSaint]

Wouldn't NY have an election for a new Lt Gov or does Bruno Patterson just get to serve it until the next regular election for it?

Not sure; I haven't heard anything about a special election.  He may just serve the remainder of Spitzer's term.

Carl's from NY.  Maybe he knows.

Paterson gets to serve out the rest of the term.  If Paterson is adjudged to be unfit to serve, Bruno serves out the rest of the term, but there's a lot of constitutional questions, plus the fact that the FBI is investigating Bruno.  It's a mess.

[BlueStateSaint]

Breaking now--Paterson has admitted to past cocaine and pot use.  I'm certain that more will follow.