From Harlem to Albany – The Path to Power

David A. Paterson is the 55th Governor of the State of New York. In a series of events few of us could have imagined, this son of Harlem has risen to make history as the Empire State’s first Black governor. As I sat in the Assembly Chamber of the State Capitol, surveying the audience of legislators and dignitaries who had assembled to witness Lt. Governor Paterson take the oath of office, I could not help but be reminded that as much as we try to shape our destiny, history has a way of settling the score.

Just ten days ago the political landscape in Albany was clear. Most of us in the advocacy community were preoccupied trying to determine how to have our particular concerns addressed in the state budget against the backdrop of a deteriorating fiscal picture. Our long-term focus was clearly on Governor Eliot Spitzer and how best to work with his administration in shaping public policy in critical areas affecting the poor of our city. Sensing that Mr. Spitzer, despite a rocky start, was capable of forging a consensus among lawmakers in Albany, we pursued our agenda, as did others, on the assumption that we would have to set our expectations against his priorities.

Then, without warning, the state’s politics was turned on its head with the revelation of Governor’s Spitzer’s misbehavior. It was a tragic downfall for an individual who had received an overwhelming mandate from voters and was positioned to bring about much needed change in our state. That thing called fate stepped in and, despite our shock and disappointment, a young man born in Brooklyn and who came of age in Harlem, was waiting in the wings for his date with destiny.

Sometimes the Experts Are Wrong

Surveying the scene in the Assembly Chamber, I thought about how within minutes the “experts” would be proven wrong once again. Two years ago the conventional wisdom was that David Paterson had erred in giving up his state Senate seat and position as Minority Leader. After all, he was on a roll and had clawed the Democrats back to relevance in the upper house by narrowing the Republican’s majority to the point where many thought Paterson could finally end the GOP’s reign. His decision to join Eliot Spitzer’s ticket as the candidate for Lieutenant Governor was widely viewed as a strategic error. Why settle for being second fiddle in a largely ceremonial post when you could conceivably wield real power as one of the “gang of three” – Governor, Speaker, and Senate Majority Leader - that really sets policy in Albany?

David Paterson once again confounded those who questioned his abilities and proved that vision involves more than the physical ability to see. While he may not have imagined ascending to the governor’s seat in the manner which he did, Paterson obviously understood that if you stand in the shadow of power, its image will eventually be cast upon you. Sure, there was a real chance that the Democrats could take control the Senate. However, that scenario was contingent upon a number of factors falling into place.

Paterson apparently appreciated a history of public servants who filled the role of a deputy only to find themselves thrust into leadership upon an improbable event, tragedy, or scandal. Whether it was Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office as President aboard Air Force One after a young John F. Kennedy was tragically assassinated in Dallas or Gerald Ford occupying the Oval Office after the Watergate scandal, history has taught us that serving in the second seat requires a readiness that is habitually overlooked.

David Paterson was ready. He received his political baptism at the foot of a trail blazing father, legendary Harlemite Basil Paterson, who surrounded his son with his contemporaries , David Dinkins, Charles Rangel, and Percy Sutton; all of them, in their own right, history makers. It was a “kitchen cabinet” that most politicians would pay a premium to receive their advice from and few could imagine having at their beck and call.

Paterson won election on his own terms and proceeded to establish a reputation as a thoughtful, diligent yet tough legislator who could win the day with kindness and still count friends on both sides of the aisle. His political skills enabled him to achieve the unthinkable – lead a coup and unseat the sitting Minority Leader and take control of the Democratic Conference in the state Senate.

Managing Expectations

There is no doubt of genuine excitement in the Black community over our new governor. Why wouldn’t there be? After all, he is only the second African American currently serving as one of our nation’s 50 governors. To put this transfer of power into historical perspective, he is only the third African American to sit in a governor’s seat since Reconstruction; Doug Wilder becoming the first when he was elected in Virginia in 1989.

In many ways, it seems that we have truly arrived. Who could have imagined the day when the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee would be an African American, as would the Governor of New York, and that a Black candidate would be in serious contention for the presidency? I wish my father, one of the deans of Black politics, Thomas R. Jones, had lived to see it.

Still, we need to be measured in our enthusiasm. Governor Paterson faces a rough road ahead. His first priority is to deliver a budget on time and with less than three weeks before the statutory deadline of April 1; the governor has to forge a consensus that will require compromise and some pain. The state’s fiscal picture is gloomy and next year’s deficit is projected to be worse.

So we must be guarded in our expectation that Governor Paterson will be able to wave a magic wand and address all of the ills that have plagued our community for so long. It is vitally important that we resist the temptation to burden our new governor with a laundry list of demands; it is a weight that he need not carry and a standard of governance that he cannot meet.

Much in the same way that David Paterson will be tested, so shall we. If we truly want to see him succeed, we must find a way to work collaboratively with his administration to first secure the state’s economy and begin laying the groundwork for substantive change.

From the New York Amsterdam News
March 20 - 26, 2008