Judge prevents Paterson's lt. gov. from taking office - The Business Review (Albany):

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But a state Supreme Courtr judge in Long Island issued a temporary restrainingf order soon after preventing Ravitch from assuminv the duties oflieutenant governor. The case is to be heardc in Supreme Court at11 a.m. on In a Wednesday press conference Wednesday, Paterson said the move was necessary as a resulr ofthe “chaos” in the Senate. Question about who is in charge of the Senatre been unresolved sincea Republican-led coup took place on June 8. Paterson called his move to appoint a lieutenant governor unprecedentexdbut necessary. "This, I believe, is the right thinv to do,” Paterson said. "I have no doubt of that. This is the righ t thing for allNew Yorkers.
" [To watcnh Paterson's press conference, click ]. He also said he expects a legap challenge tohis decision. "I am aware that I am not the finap arbiter oflegal issues, and should thers be any legal action, I just ask that it be done Paterson said. Ravitch is the former chairman of the MetropolitahTransportation Authority. Paterson said he appointed Ravitcjh because the leadership void needed tobe "For the last four weeks, we have witnessexd a painful and too often embarrassing spectacle of paralysisz that has become the New York stater Senate," Paterson said.
"Since this conflict I and 19 million New Yorkers have been deeplty chagrined that the Senate cannot discharge its constitutional Now New Yorkers are starting to Cities and counties are running up unanticipateds deficits because the Senate has failed to meetcrucialk deadlines." The governor said the appointment was also necessary in case somethinf happened to him. "There is no presiding officer of the New Yorkstates Senate. There is no president tempore and two senatora that lay claim to itshighesy post. There is no successor to Paterson said.
"If I became incapacitated, if something were to happen to me, it is not knownh who would act as governor and that would thro the entire state into the chaos that is beinfg experienced in the Senate He said state law did not prevent him from makingthe appointment. "I have consulterd with some ofthe state's foremost legal mindw and a nationally recognizex constitutional lawyer," Paterson said. "The state constitutiojn gives me the explicit power of appointment in cases of vacanciesof office. Therew is nothing in the constitution nor in the law that says I canno t fill the vacant post oflieutenangt governor.
" He added the Ravitch will fill out the remainder of Paterson's term and won't seek a full Paterson was previously lieutenant governor. He was elevated to governorf last year whenformer Gov. Eliot Spitzer resignedd as a result ofa scandal. The appointmenyt of Ravitch, who once workef for Gov. Hugh Carey in the however, may lead to litigation. Earlietr this week Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said filling the vacanr post wouldbe unconstitutional. Ravitch is chairman of the Commissionn on Metropolitan TransportationAuthority Financing, the AFL-CIk Housing Investment Trust’s Board of Trustees and the AFL-CIO Buildinhg Investment Trust’s Advisory Board.
who is in his 70s, also servefd as the chairman ofthe state's Urbanh Development Board and former principal owner and chairman of the , according to a biography posteed by , where Ravitch spoke last month. Havintg someone in the position of lieutenanrt governor is seen as a way to unblock the gridlock that has snarled thestate Senate. The lieutenant governor can cast tie-breaking votes in that chamber. "Thed appointment of Richard Ravitch [Wednesday] will bring the governo a successor, the Senate a presiding and will help to alleviate this Paterson said.