Mar 15, 2008 1:08 pm US/Eastern
Paterson Prepares For Historic Governorship
Governor-To-Be Getting Help From All Over During Transition
ALBANY (CBS) ―
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David Paterson will be New York's 55th governor and the first black leader of the state.
CBS
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New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, right, holds a news conference in New York City with his wife, Silda, by his side on March 10, 2008, after it was announced that he has been involved in a prostitution ring.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
It's a new chapter for Lt. Gov. David Paterson. He'll be sworn in as governor Monday. He's spent the last few days preparing for the daunting role.
Paterson made a goodwill tour of the capital Friday, meeting leaders he'll have to work with as governor.
"We all know each other," Paterson said. "We're just trying to see if we can speed things up and get back to work."
The smiles masked an intense amount of hard work taking place behind the scenes. Paterson now has less than 72 hours to take over Eliot Spitzer's administration.
Bill Lynch is Paterson's chief political advisor.
"David found out about the situation on Monday and in essence is taking office a week later," Lynch said.
There are agency heads in place from the Spitzer administration, so Paterson has the luxury of picking and choosing whom to replace at his leisure. But he'll bring in new advisors, save for a few Spitzer holdovers he's asked to remain.
"My advice to David is go slow," Lynch said. "Let what's in place stay in place, until he can evaluate what's good, what works, what doesn't work."
His bigger headache is the ticking clock on the state budget, which is due April 1. Paterson said Thursday he's already consumed in the details.
"Let me be very clear about this, there may be a five-day transition process, but we are hard at work at this moment putting together a budget," Paterson said.
Veterans from other administrations say he'll have plenty of help.
"Theres' a permanent government in Albany," former Gov. George Pataki spokesman Michael McKeon said. "You know, governors come, governors go, but there a lot of people who are the permanent government in Albany, who know the process."
In the meantime, there are phone lines to change, offices to assign and business cards to print.
Come Monday, everyone will be watching Paterson for the big things. But as most government veterans can tell you, it's the little things that can trip you up.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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