Email a Friend

Digg

David Paterson, a 53-year-old Democrat who made history as New York's state's first visually impaired and Black lieutenant governor, will replace New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer, who was named in a stunning prostitution scandal that has left his career in ruins. Spitzer announced Wednesday he will resign as governor, effective March 17th.

DiversityInc spoke with several people who know Paterson well and a uniform profile emerged--unlike Spitzer, he is a strong consensus builder, a man whose lifelong disability and status as a racial minority have made him sensitive to others' needs and a clear and empathetic communicator.

"He's a great listener. He wants to hear how people feel. He's a consensus builder. We've seen that at work on our board meetings. He brings people together," says Carl R. Augusto, president and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind.

Augusto has known him since Paterson began serving on the foundation's board of directors in 1997. "David is an intelligent, astute person with a very warm personality. He is a true humanitarian that cares about people," says Augusto. "He's a tremendous role model, not only for those that are blind and visually impaired, but for everyone."

Lonnie Soury, president of public-relations firm Soury Communications, met Paterson when Soury was representing General Motors during the company's attempt to bring a dealership franchise to Harlem years ago. Their children attended the same elementary school.

"He's engaging, respectful and always has time for people," says Soury. "I think he's inspirational to those with disabilities and it will send a strong message to diverse communities in the city to have an African-American governor."

David Bositis, a senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, has known Paterson since they attended a retreat on school choice in 2000. Bositis, who describes Paterson as a "naturally relaxed" individual, believes his demeanor will serve him well should he be named governor.

"I generally don't like spending time with politicians, but David is just a normal person," says Bositis. "I certainly don't think he'll have any problem making allies."

Bositis believes Paterson's greatest strength, a reputation as a coalition builder, will serve him well as he looks to make allies in the wake of Spitzer's fall. "I think he'll be better than Spitzer at working with people and making friends because he's someone that has a strong realization that interpersonal things are very important in terms of being successful."

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Paterson's aides already began laying the groundwork for him to take over as governor should Spitzer resign or be impeached. Paterson will automatically be named governor and complete Spitzer's term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2010, becoming the first legally blind governor in the nation. The transition will happen March 17th. He will also be only the fourth Black governor in the nation's history, following Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, Douglass Wilder of Virginia and P.B.S. Pinchback, who served as governor of Louisiana in 1872. 

Born in Brooklyn in 1954 with no sight in his left eye and severely limited vision in his right, Paterson was diagnosed with optic atrophy, a condition where some or most of the fibers of the optic nerve are destroyed. But instead of letting that disability limit his opportunities, Paterson excelled at everything he did.

Augusto thinks the prospect of having the nation's first visually impaired governor could dramatically alter perceptions of the blind and visually impaired. "It will have a tremendously positive impact. We see every day in my organization blind and visually impaired people running different organizations employed in every class of occupation," says Augusto. "We know that people wonder what the capabilities of blind people are and David will challenge positively the public perceptions of what it means to be blind and how a blind person can function."

A graduate of Columbia University and Hofstra Law School, Paterson was elected minority leader of the New York State Senate in 2002, becoming the first non-white legislative leader in the state's history. In 2004, in Boston, Paterson became the first visually impaired person to address a Democratic National Convention. And on Nov. 7, 2006, he became New York's first Black lieutenant governor.

Paterson's name has reportedly been floated as a successor to Clinton should she win the presidency and have to give up her Senate seat.

Residing in Harlem with his wife and two children, Paterson is a member of the Achilles Track Club, having completed the New York City Marathon in 1999. His father, Basil, was the first non-white secretary of state for New York and the first Black vice chair of the national Democratic Party.

A Staunch Proponent of LGBT Rights, Stem-Cell Research, Alternative Energy

Should he assume the governor's mantle, it could be a huge boon to New York's LGBT community, as Paterson has been described as "ahead of his time on gay issues over the years," reports Planetout.com. The web site says Paterson has been in support of same-sex marriage since as early as 1994.

Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, described Paterson as a staunch ally of the LGBT community. "He's been a long-time supporter of ending discrimination in marriage and I'm confident he would also be a strong advocate in the battles to come," Wolfson says.

Spitzer introduced a same-sex marriage bill, which was passed by the New York State Assembly. But the bill died in the Republican State Senate and was returned to the State Assembly. Some pundits speculated Spitzer's roughshod style, which alienated potential supporters, may have contributed to the bill's demise.