… he would be succeeded by Lt. Governor David A. Paterson, who would become New York’s first African American governor and the first who is legally blind.

New York governor Elliot Spitzer acknowledged in a brief statement that he had violated the obligations he had to his family and the public, though he offered no specific comments about a New York Times report that he was involved in a prostitution ring.

Spitzer did not specifically address the question of a possible resignation, but speculation was widespread.

Lt. Gov. Paterson, a graduate of Hofstra Law School, began representing Harlem in the New York State Senate in 1985. In 2002, he became the Senate minority leader — the first non-white legislative leader in New York’s history. He made history again in 2004 when he became the first visually impaired person to address the Democratic National Convention. He was elected lieutenant governor in 2006.

Paterson is a member of the American Foundation for the Blind, and serves as a member of the Democratic National Committee and a board member of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

From CNBC, BBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 10th, 2008 at 1:22 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, blindness/visual impairments, politics, race. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post