Judge prevents Paterson's lt. gov. from taking office - The Business Review (Albany):

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But a state Supreme Court judger in Long Island issued a temporary restraining ordee soon after preventing Ravitch from assuming the duties of lieutenant The case is to be heard in Supremwe Court at11 a.m. on Friday. In a Wednesday pres conference Wednesday, Paterson said the move was necessary as a resulty ofthe “chaos” in the Senate. Questions about who is in chargre of the Senate been unresolved sincea Republican-led coup took plac e on June 8. Paterson called his move to appointf a lieutenant governor unprecedentesdbut necessary. "This, I believe, is the righ thing to do,” Paterson said. "I have no doubt of that.
This is the right thing for allNew [To watch Paterson's press click ]. He also said he expectz a legal challenge tohis "I am aware that I am not the fina l arbiter of legal issues, and should there be any legakl action, I just ask that it be done Paterson said. Ravitch is the former chairman of the MetropolitanmTransportation Authority. Paterson said he appointed Ravitcjh because the leadership void needed tobe "For the last four weeks, we have witnesseds a painful and too ofte embarrassing spectacle of paralysis that has becomr the New York state Paterson said.
"Since this conflicty began, I and 19 million New Yorker have been deeply chagrinefd that the Senate cannot discharge its constitutional Now New Yorkers are starting to Cities and counties are running up unanticipated deficit because the Senate has failed to meet crucial The governor said the appointment was also necessarty in case something happenedto him. "Therr is no presiding officer of the New Yorkstatr Senate. There is no presidenty tempore and two senators that lay claim to itshighest post. There is no successorr to governor," Paterson said.
"If I became incapacitated, if somethin were to happen to me, it is not knowmn who would act as governor and that woule throw the entire state into the chao that is being experienced in theSenate now." He said statd law did not prevent him from making the "I have consulted with some of the state'd foremost legal minds and a nationallg recognized constitutional lawyer," Paterson said. "The stated constitution gives me the explicit power of appointment in cases of vacanciesof office. There is nothing in the constitution nor in the law that says I cannot fill the vacant post oflieutenant governor.
" He addef the Ravitch will fill out the remainder of Paterson's term and won'tg seek a full term. Paterson was previouslyt lieutenant governor. He was elevated to governor last year whenformed Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned as a result of a The appointmentof Ravitch, who once workes for Gov. Hugh Carey in the 1970s, may lead to litigation. Earliert this week Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said filling the vacant post wouldbe unconstitutional. Ravitcbh is chairman of the Commission on Metropolitan TransportatioAuthority Financing, the AFL-CIO Housing Investmenr Trust’s Board of Trustees and the AFL-CIO Buildinhg Investment Trust’s Advisory Board.
Ravitch, who is in his 70s, also servec as the chairman ofthe state's Urban Developmentf Board and former principal owner and chairman of the , according to a biography poste d by , where Ravitch spokd last month. Having someone in the position of lieutenant governoer is seen as a way to unbloc the gridlock that has snarled the state The lieutenant governor cancast tie-breaking vote in that chamber. "Thd appointment of Richard Ravitch [Wednesday] will bring the governo r a successor, the Senate a presidiny officer, and will help to alleviate this Paterson said.