One week ago he was the relatively powerless Lt. Governor of New York, today he will formally take over the Governor’s Office:
ALBANY — If the swearing-in of David A. Paterson as the 55th governor of New York on Monday looks carefully choreographed, that is no accident.
Mr. Paterson himself insisted on many of the details, like where it will be held, who will attend and even what it will be called.
As New York reeled from revelations that Gov. Eliot Spitzer was under federal investigation for his links to a prostitution ring, Mr. Paterson wanted his swearing-in ceremony to convey a sense of coming together.
So when he steps into the baroque chamber of the State Assembly here at 1 p.m. and is sworn in by the state’s chief judge, Judith S. Kaye, he will do so in the presence of members of both houses of the Legislature and the state’s highest-ranking elected officials — with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo expected to be among them.
To dispel any notion that the event has a celebratory tone, Mr. Paterson and his staff are carefully referring to it as a swearing-in, not an inauguration.
There was some debate among Mr. Paterson’s top aides about whether to hold a large public ceremony or a small private one. It was felt that a large ceremony could give the appearance that Mr. Paterson was wallowing in Mr. Spitzer’s downfall.
But Mr. Paterson was aware of the symbolism of bringing together all three branches of government in the room known as “the people’s chamber.”
His speech is expected to focus on restoring confidence and to call for setting aside partisan bickering so the state can heal.
The bipartisanship is remarkable for New York, but, then again, I’m guess most people are just glad that Client No. 9 is gone.
