Lt. Gov's group hears from Paterson

Little did Gov. David Paterson know last spring that when he lobbied to bring the National Lieutenant Governors Association to Buffalo that he would be addressing the gathering as New York's governor.

At the time he was the state's lieutenant governor.

But, when former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in March following revelations of his alleged role in a sex scandal, Paterson was quickly elevated to the state's top political office.

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So what did Paterson learn?

"To take it one day at time," he said during a keynote address delivered Wednesday morning to the lieutenant governor's convention, held at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo hotel.

"It was like when I ran the New York City Marathon," Paterson joked with his fellow elected leaders. "You take everything one mile at a time."

During his 20-minute speech, Paterson made several references to his sudden transition from lieutenant governor to the governor's mansion. It was more than your typical transition as New York lawmakers were in the eleventh hour of budget talks and with several key bills working their way through Albany.

The $124 billion budget was approved in April and 27 bi-partisan bills were approved by the end of the legislative session in June.

Paterson considered both remarkable achievements given the transitionary period in Albany and across New York.

"It tested all my personal skills," Paterson said.

Paterson said it helped that many insiders from the Spitzer administration remained in place until the budget was passed.

Not all stayed including Patrick Foye, the downstate economic development czar, among them.

"A few members didn't want to stay and I understand that," Paterson said.

Paterson advised the group to have a strong cadre of inner circle supporters and to make sure they are all working off of the same page and the same playbook.

In hindsight, though, Paterson said the early days of his tenure might have gone smoother if he "followed my gut instincts."

Paterson also strongly recommended that any elected leader be honest.

"A good, candid decision is always a good political decision," he said.

Adding to the already complex backdrop is a growing national and international financial crisis, with far-ranging implications. The financial meltdown was resulted in a consumer confidence index that is the lowest since 1982.

Rising gas prices are playing a significant role, but so is the mortgage lending crisis.

Paterson thinks the next round will come this fall when homeowners and businesses are faced with rising heating bills.

"There are options you can take at the gas pump that homeowners can not," he said. "I'm not sure our leaders are sure how to address this crisis."