Behind Spitzer’s Choice of Paterson

Ask black New Yorkers what they think about Eliot Spitzer and most will find a way to somehow work into the conversation the name of Alton Maddox.In 1990, Mr. Maddox, a well-known civil rights attorney, was suspended from practicing law in New York while representing the Reverend Al Sharpton on a 67-count indictment.Mr. Maddox had refused to disclose files to the court involving the infamous Tawana Brawley case three years earlier. Back then, the 15-year-old Mid-Hudson Valley girl claimed she was raped and sodomized by six white men. A jury later found Ms. Brawley’s story was a hoax, and Rev. Sharpton, one of Ms. Brawley’s strongest supporters, was sued in court for defamation.When Mr. Spitzer became attorney general in 1999, many in New York’s African-American community wanted to know if he would assist Mr. Maddox in securing his law license. At the time, Mr. Spitzer vowed to look into the case. Seven years later, Mr. Maddox is not yet able to practice law and Mr. Spitzer is taking a pounding from African Americans who feel he has not used his office to help Mr. Maddox get reinstated.The latest sign that such sentiments are alive came just two weeks ago, when the largely African-American crowd that gathered at Canaan Baptist Church to participate in Rev. Sharpton’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration booed Mr. Spitzer. It became clear then that if there was any chance of winning the African-American vote, Mr. Spitzer would need a strong black politician to run to be his lieutenant governor. Thus enters David Paterson.Mr. Paterson, a Harlem state senator, clearly has the clout and credibility to shore up Mr. Spitzer’s African-American base. He is a product of the Harlem political machine that most black politicos seeking office turn to for support.The only problem is that for several months now, Leecia Eve, who until recently served as counsel to Senator Clinton, had already declared her candidacy. Mr. Paterson’s father, Basil, who is a former secretary of state, endorsed Ms. Eve. Rep. Charles Rangel, Mayor Dinkins, and a former president of Manhattan, Percy Sutton, also threw their support behind Ms. Eve, who is African American.On Tuesday, Mr. Rangel said he and Messrs. Dinkins and Sutton will continue to support Ms. Eve. Privately, there is already talk that Ms. Eve may bow out of the race gracefully, though her spokeswoman claims she remains a viable candidate.At one time, black political leaders looking to vie for office would assemble behind closed doors and commit themselves to a pact. Once a candidate was decided upon from the group, everyone would get in step and support the candidacy. That is the way Harold Washington, for example, became mayor of Chicago.It seems like those days are long gone. Blacks are more willing to challenge each other, even if it means that at the end of the day they cancel each other out and neither wins office.In the race for lieutenant governor, that won’t really happen.Mr. Paterson will solidly defeat Ms. Eve, who is from Buffalo and is virtually unknown in New York City. The other candidates running for the post don’t have a chance of defeating him, either. Though Ms. Eve comes from a prominent political family, many older African Americans will support Mr. Paterson, feeling she hasn’t been around long enough to pay her dues. This is part of the problem with encouraging young black progressive candidates to run in the first place. They are often ignored by virtue of the fact that they are young.As for the lieutenant governorship, one could argue that Mr. Paterson’s presence could redefine the post. He is not in the mold of either Betsy Macaughey, a former lieutenant governor, or Mary Donohue, the current lieutenant governor. Mr. Paterson is a seasoned politician and the top-ranking black legislator in the state. I have not known him to be soft-spoken. In a job that has historically been ceremonial at best, one has to wonder why Mr. Spitzer would tap Mr. Paterson to run for the office knowing he would be unafraid to speak his mind.In choosing Mr. Paterson as a running mate, Mr. Spitzer is bestowing the office with power. It holds out the hope for more than tokenism. It would be a real chance to address many issues that beset African Americans across the state.Meanwhile, a former City Council member, Bill Perkins of Harlem, has told me he will run for Mr. Paterson’s Senate seat, a race he has a chance of winning.Mr. Paterson’s accession to the second-highest office in the state could open the way for an African American to one day become governor of New York. Now that would be something to shout about.

Behind Spitzer’s Choice of Paterson

Behind Spitzer’s Choice of Paterson

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