Gov. David Paterson took his oath Monday afternoon in Albany-New York, becoming the 55th Governor of New York, the first ever black to hold the seat and would be the first legally blind person to serve more than a few days on office. Following Eliot Spitzer's resignation caused by the prostitution scandal he was dealing.
Paterson Swearing Inphoto source: syracuse.com
BIOGRAPHY
NAME: David A. Paterson
AGE: 53. Born May 20, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: Brooklyn
RESIDENCE: He has homes in Harlem and the Albany suburb of Guilderland.
FAMILY: He and his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson, have two children, Ashley, a 19-year-old student at Ithaca College who is from his wife's previous marriage, and 14-year-old Alex, who attends public school in New York City.
PARTY: Democrat
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in history from Columbia University in 1977; law degree from Hofstra Law School in 1982
EXPERIENCE: Elected in 1985 to represent Harlem in the state Senate. Became Senate minority leader in 2002. Elected as the state's first black lieutenant governor in 2006 on the Democratic ticket with Eliot Spitzer.
QUOTE: "In some ways, I feel that I'm sitting on a sand castle that other people built. There are so many African-Americans, both men and women throughout the past couple of centuries, who have struggled unremittingly to try to advance opportunity for all people and for themselves."
--source: The Associated Press
What to expect of the new Governor?
Listen to his own words:
"There is work to be done," Paterson said Monday. "There's trust that needs to be restored. There are issues that need to be addressed. And all of us . .. must be aware of one truth that rises above all else: It's that New York families are more challenged today than they were yesterday. And if we are going to build a viable future for New York, we are going to have to help single mothers who have two jobs. We are going to have to give children better schools and families who don't have health care some redress."
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