Governor David Paterson

I'm sure you've heard the news about NY Governor Elliot Spitzer resigning today because of the terrible scandal in which he paid $5,500 an hour to be with a prostitute in DC before testifying to Congress the next day (on Valentine's Day). So all of a sudden, my home state of NY will soon have a new governor. I've known of David Paterson for a little while as he's been in the NY State Senate for a little while and has developed a reputation as amiable and able to work leaders on both sides of the aisle. What I didn't realize is that not only will he become only the third African-American Governor since the civil war (Deval Patrick, the new Gov of Massachusetts being one of the other two), but he will be the first legally blind person to ever be Governor. According to this great profile in today's NY Times, he developed an infection as a child that left him blind in one eye and with severely limited sight in the other. I'm simply blown away by his ability to overcome what others might consider to be an insurmountable obstacle. He graduated from Columbia and then earned a law degree from Hofstra, entered politics and ended up becoming Senate Minority Leader in Albany, Lt Governor, and now suddenly Governor. He's even completed the NYC Marathon! As much as I thought Spitzer was going to be a great Governor, his abrasive style just hasn't worked and now I'm looking forward to seeing what Gov. Paterson can accomplish.