Washington DC Adult Entertainment: New York loses second governor to scandal
Written on February 28, 2010 – 6:37 pm | by larrylibido
Scandal … David Paterson, right, with his disgraced predecessor Eliot Spitzer. Photo: Reuters
WASHINGTON: David Paterson, New York state’s first black governor, will end his term as it began: with a scandal.
Mr Paterson took office two years ago when his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, resigned after it was revealed he had met a prostitute in a Washington hotel.
Mr Paterson, who is legally blind, opened his term with a news conference admitting his own marital infidelity. His reputation never recovered.
Now he says he will not seek re-election in November, succumbing to pressure from top Democrats to withdraw amid revelations his administration had intervened in a domestic violence case against one of his aides.
He is widely seen as ineffective, his legislative agenda stalled in the state legislature. In May, a poll showed a majority of New Yorkers would prefer to have Mr Spitzer back despite his sexual misdemeanours.