When Eliot Spitzer was elected to office in 2006 by a record-setting 69 percent of the vote, his massive victory was declared a mandate of the people. The voters wanted serious change, someone who would come into Albany and clean-up all the dirt. Here it is, not even a year and a half later, and the man who fed that incredible optimism has proven to be no better than the rest and, actually, dirtier than most. Spitzer has left office with a reign that will be recognized as the greatest political letdown in the history of the state.
The disappointed people of New York are now on the emotional rebound, with folks from Niagara Falls to Long Island focusing a new and unbridled sense of optimism upon the man who now takes the reigns of our state, David Paterson. Elected officials and the press have trumped up his status, appropriately citing his successes against adversity (his blindness) while exaggerating his executive wherewithal.
It’s unfortunate that we can’t learn from our mistakes. Optimism can be a good thing, but too much of it can blind reality (as was the case with Spitzer). Politicians, especially those with the absolute power of executive branch, need to be looked at with a discerning eye. A lifelong politician like David Paterson has a body of work that can be analyzed to the nth degree. It hasn’t been, probably because all of the media attention has been trained on Spitzer’s adultery and law breaking. So, we are led into this new era believing that Paterson is absolutely wonderful and without flaw.
Truthfully, he is just as his predecessor was and like many of his Albany peers, a man with flaws and a symbol of what’s wrong in the state capital. Paterson comes into office with some very timely and damning baggage: In an order issued one month ago by US District Court Judge Norman Mordue, a lawsuit against New York state is allowed to progress to trial because substantial material fact was provided by the plaintiff, Joseph Maioriello, who believes that he was fired by the Senate (specifically Paterson’s office) based solely on race.
For 26 years Maioriello — who is white — was an at-will employee of the Assembly and Senate, serving as a photographer and cable television coordinator. Reporting to specific elected officials as part of their support staff, he had to re-submit his application following the completion of every two-year election cycle. A good employee, he was rewarded with constant contract renewals.
In March of 2003, three months into a post-election legislative cycle, Maioriello was unceremoniously terminated. This coincided with Paterson’s rise to prominence as the Senate Minority leader. Once he took control of the Democratic caucus Paterson decided to make some changes to the support staff, which included the dismissal of Maioriello and replacing him with a black photographer.
Stunned, Maioriello inquired about his job loss and was told by one of his supervisors that it was due to poor job performance. Considering that his quality of work was never called into question and there was no evidence of any negative reports such as unsatisfactory performance appraisals or write-ups, he pressed the issue even further, going to Paterson’s chief deputy, John McPadden. According to court records, Maioriello said the conversation progressed as follows:
McPadden: “Senator Paterson is relieving you of your duties. There are certain minority senators ... people of color ... who want to replace you ... by another photographer.”
Maioriello: “Why?”
McPadden: “You know who it is. They want to replace you with a minority photographer. A black photographer.”
Maioriello: “Why?”
McPadden: “You got to remember who Senator Paterson is. Senator Paterson is black.”
Highlighting the plaintiff’s claim is evidence that the black photographer received preferential treatment under Paterson’s watch. In his 26th year of service, Maioriello was paid $34,206. Upon taking that same role, his replacement, El-Wise Noisette, was paid $48,000.
McPadden denies any wrongdoing. So does our new Governor. As a matter of fact, Paterson said that given his visual impairment he would not know if a photographer was black or white. Half in jest, half in truth, his comment did not carry weight with the judge.
So, now this goes on to trial, one the jury of which will probably decide in Maioriello’s favor based upon this and other significant amounts of evidence. The outcome will not be a pittance, either: Maioriello is seeking $1.5 million in damages.
Temper your enthusiasm for Paterson — a self-proclaimed “bomb thrower” — with this bombshell. It is one of many stories bound to come out in the coming months. He’s not the choir boy that we are supposed to believe he is ... just like the guy before him.
Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda.
Bob Confer
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Discussion
March 18, 2008
CONFER: The new governor's black eye
- Bob Confer
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CONFER: Climate security and economic run
We live in an era of much unrest in which people fear for their security, be it socially (terror threats), economically (recession), or environmentally (global warming). Feeding off this, our elected officials have been quite successful in using fear-mongering to introduce endless amounts of legislation that do much more harm than good.
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CONFER: Downstate interests cause gas pains
Last week the New York Senate voted for a holiday on the state’s gas tax, calling for suspension of the government markup during the summer months (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Sure, it’s most definitely an election year tactic by the Republican Senate, a sort of sales gimmick for incumbency, but nonetheless it is still a welcomed and much-needed gesture.
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CONFER: Catholics and the almighty dollar
When I tell people I live in Gasport many of them respond with a resounding, “That’s God’s Country!”
That, it is. It’s a beautiful area and a great place to live. But, come June, it will be a little less godly. St. Mary’s Church, the sole Roman Catholic in our hamlet, is one of almost 90 Catholic churches that will be — or have been — closed or merged by the Buffalo Diocese. -
CONFER: Young blood needed in community
Last week’s column was probably the most popular one I’ve written. My inbox was flooded with e-mails from all across the United States, everyone to a person agreeing with my analysis of how our state’s political climate makes it darn near impossible to live and work in the Empire State, in the end forcing our dear family and friends to greener pastures far away.
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CONFER: Why your loved ones have left NY
The chances are very good that you know someone who has left New York. According to the US Census Bureau, from July 2006 to July 2007 the Buffalo-Niagara region lost 5,166 people and since 2000 the Rochester area has lost over 7,300 of its residents.
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CONFER: Values do matter in public service
Public officials and sex. They seem to go hand in hand. It’s probably because absolute power not only corrupts absolutely, it perverts absolutely, too. Throughout history those in power have abused it to satisfy their most carnal urges, either gaining praise for their actions (JFK and Marilyn) or having their reigns rocked by controversy (Bill Clinton and Monica).
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CONFER: The importance of Tom Christy
I’ll admit, at times my columns can be a little dry. When it comes to expounding on government it can be difficult to make the subject matter palatable to the average person. Government affects every one of us, but, boy, can it ever be boring. People can only hear so much about how government works, where it is broken and how it can be fixed.
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CONFER: The new governor's black eye
When Eliot Spitzer was elected to office in 2006 by a record-setting 69 percent of the vote, his massive victory was declared a mandate of the people. The voters wanted serious change, someone who would come into Albany and clean-up all the dirt. Here it is, not even a year and a half later, and the man who fed that incredible optimism has proven to be no better than the rest and, actually, dirtier than most. Spitzer has left office with a reign that will be recognized as the greatest political letdown in the history of the state.
- CONFER: No new taxes — just bigger ones Last week in the state capital the legislature and Governor Spitzer were arguing over what the budget deficit would be for fiscal year 2008-2009. This wasn’t quibbling over pennies; their differences were in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Spitzer believes the deficit will be $4.8 billion.
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CONFER: The candidates and American jobs
“It’s the economy, stupid.”
That phrase, made famous by James Carville for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign 16 years ago, still rings true to this day. It always has and always will. - More Bob Confer Headlines
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