Politics on the Hudson

Governor Paterson said he’s been impressed with the way his Senate appointee, Kirsten Gillibrand, has handled herself since he tapped her for the post last week.

Gillibrand was sworn in today and Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath.

“I think she’s indicated very clearly and seems to be very well received that she’s going to listen to people and in many respects reviewed some of the points of view she has,” Paterson said.

“I think that in the first week she’s demonstrated the kind of determination and hard work that I think will make her an outstanding senator.”

Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said Governor Paterson’s handling of the state budget problems and the selection of a U.S. Senate candidate show that the Democratic governor has “a massive credibility problem right now.”

Skelos torn into Paterson after Skelos refused to attend meet with Paterson after Skelos said Paterson wouldn’t hold a leaders’ meeting in public today. Paterson met with Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, and Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, who Skelos dubbed “Three New York City Democrats In A Room.”

Skelos said Paterson turned the Senate selection process into a “circus” and an “unseemly spectacle.

“The governor had an opportunity in this selection process to put New York state up on a pedestal in terms of how you conduct business,” he said. “And instead it turns into a process of how can I get on CNN, how can I be on Fox News and other programs.”

He added that Paterson “made a mockery of the process and demeaned the reputation of people like Caroline Kennedy, whose only crime was to say I’m interested in running for the U.S. Senate. I think that’s wrong. You don’t destroy their reputation to make it sound like that’s the reason I didn’t select that individual.”

More on that soon.

   A new Marist College poll has found that 46 percent of New York voters endorse Kirsten Gillibrand’s appointment as U.S. senator. The Democrat from Hudson, Columbia County, was named by Gov. David Paterson last week as the replacement for Hillary Clinton, who is secretary of state for the Obama administration. She has given up her seat as a second-term U.S. representative and is being sworn as senator this afternoon.

   While 46 percent of voters said Paterson made the right choice, 24 percent said he made the wrong choice and 30 percent said they don’t know. Gillibrand has more support from upstate voters (55 percent) than New York City (40 percent) and the New York City suburbs (36 percent). Forty-five percent of Democrats and 49 percent of Republicans agree with the governor’s decision, the poll found. More than 600 voters were surveyed on Monday, and the margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.

   Gillibrand is fairly new to political office and 48 percent of voters either have never heard of her or don’t have a strong opinion of her, according to the poll. In a December survey, 83 percent of registered voters were in that category.

   Fifty-seven percent of Democrats said they don’t know enough about her to form an opinion; 33 percent said they view her positively and 10 percent do not, the poll found. Gillibrand has been controversial among Democrats for her pro-gun stance and positions on immigration.

   The poll also found that Paterson has lost ground against his potential opponents in the gubernatorial race next year. If the 2010 election were held today, he would lose to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Forty-seven percent said they would rather vote for Bloomberg, compared to 41 percent for Paterson. When matched up against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Paterson would get 46 percent of voters’ support and Giuliani would receive 47 percent, the poll found. (more…)

   An investigation into former state Health Commissioner Antonia Novello by Inspector General Joseph Fisch found that Novello used staff members as personal chauffeurs to drive her, her family and her friends to airports, shopping malls and other spots, and to perform other tasks. The cost of staff overtime was nearly $50,000, according to Fisch, who alleged Novello abused her position. He forwarded his findings to the Albany County district attorney for possible criminal prosecution.

   Novello, 64, was commissioner from 1999 to 2006. Before that, the physician was surgeon general of the United States from 1990 to 1993.

   Two security guards testified they worked nights and weekends and were “on call” to drive Novello while she went on shopping sprees, checked her mail at her apartment, picked up dry cleaning and moved furniture. Security guards often drove her mother to Newark, N.J., airport to catch flights to Puerto Rico. An Albany security guard was ordered to work Christmas Day in 2006 to drive Novello to Newark, then to change his vacation plans and pick her up in his own car, even though her term as commissioner had ended, Fisch’s report said.

   Fisch said Novello “shamelessly and blatantly exploited and abused her staff, adding new dimension to the definition of ‘arrogance’ and ‘chutzpah.’ Her misconduct was neither inadvertant nor occasional because she had been warned in a formal memorandum. Rather than cease her abuses, she undertook to disguise her actions in order to avoid detection Her conduct was disgraceful and unconscionable.”

   Novello’s annual salary as commissioner was $196,000, including a $60,000 stipend as board president for the Health Research Institute. Fisch has accused her of “grossly” underestimating her tax benefits for her personal use of her state car and drivers.

   In late 2006, now-former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi pleaded guilty to defrauding the government for using staff members to drive his wife on personal errands and to doctor’s appointments and perform other tasks.

Here’s Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, presiding over the state Senate yesterday, the first African-American woman to ever do so.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who will be sworn in today in Washington, is expected to head to western New York this weekend, her aides said.

She’s expected in Rochester and Buffalo over the weekend, though her schedule hasn’t been firmed up yet.

She’s heading back to New York City on Thursday.

As expected, Democratic Rep. John Hall of Dover has retained the subcommittee chairmanship he held the last two years on the House Veterans Affair Committee.

Hall will chair the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

His Congressional District includes the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

State Assemblyman Peter Rivera wants to steal the spotlight from Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand’s swearing in ceremony as New York’s newest senator.

An hour before the 12:30 p.m. ceremony today in Washington, Rivera will hold a meeting in Albany of Hispanic state lawmakers who will discuss a Democratic primary challenge to Gillibrand in September 2010.

In a press release, Rivera said the group plans to meet with Gillibrand’s potential challengers. His release says “Gillibrand’s pandering to xenophobes has made her persona non-grata in communities across the state.’‘

Mamaroneck resident Timothy Geithner has been confirmed by the Senate to serve as President Barack Obama’s treasury secretary in a less-than-overwhelming 60 to 34 vote.

   The state Catholic Conference said today that 10,000 New Yorkers’ e-mails and letters have convinced Gov. David Paterson to reverse his decision to eliminate the Comprehensive Attendance Policy mandate for religious and independent schools. The mandate requires teachers to take student attendance whenever students move about during the school day, such as changing classes.

   In his original budget proposal, Paterson called for eliminating the mandate for non-public schools, as well as the $55 million in state funding to reimburse private schools for the cost of compliance. While the governor has not included the $55 million, his administration has expressed a willingness to negotiate, according to the Catholic Conference.

   “We thank Governor Paterson for recognizing the critical importance of the CAP program, which is intended to ensure that children are safe and in school receiving their education,” James Cultrara of the Catholic Conference said in a statement. “In restoring the program, Governor Paterson has recognized the state’s obligation to provide for the needs of all school children, regardless of where they attend school.”

   New Yorkers have sent tens of thousands of e-mails through the Catholic Advocacy Network to the governor and members of the Senate and Assembly. The Legislature is supposed to develop a 2009-10 spending plan by March 31.