The Olympic gold medalist quoted in yesterday’s New York Post as saying that Governor Paterson helped secure her a government job following a close personal relationship is indeed in line to take a city job — and a telephone recommendation by Mr. Paterson did precede the action, the city’s Department of Education said yesterday.

The job the woman, the track and field star Diane Dixon, is being considered for is district family advocate in Brooklyn’s District 17.

Because of Mayor Bloomberg’s recent hiring freeze, securing the job requires a special exemption. The chief of staff to the education department’s chief family engagement officer, Martine Guerrier, filed such an exemption this month, and it is now pending the approval of top education officials, a Department of Education spokeswoman, Melody Meyer, said.

Ms. Meyer said the exemption request was filed less than a month after Mr. Paterson, then lieutenant governor, telephoned another education official to recommend Ms. Dixon for a different job.

That job, as a staffer working for the groups that since 2002 have replaced community school boards, community education councils, would have paid about $65,000 annually.

Ms. Dixon had applied for the job “through regular channels,” Ms. Meyer said.

Two city administrators who interviewed her deemed Ms. Dixon a bad fit for the community education council job but a possibility for a family advocate position, Ms. Meyer said.

The second person, Ms. Guerrier, interviewed Ms. Dixon on February 21, six days after Mr. Paterson placed his telephone call to the community education council administrator.

Asked about the Post story, in which Ms. Dixon claims she tape-recorded conversations with Mr. Paterson, the governor said yesterday, “I know her, not that well. Any conversations she tape-recorded with me could be played in this room, and it wouldn’t be interesting.”

Mr. Paterson this week said he had had multiple extramarital affairs but that the affairs ended several years ago.

The family advocate position carries a salary of about $50,000 annually. The job in District 17 now is held by a man named Eric O’Neal, the district’s secretary, Mary Rivera, said yesterday.

Ms. Rivera said she had not heard of Ms. Dixon. Of Mr. O’Neal, she quipped, “If he was getting a job from the lieutenant governor, I hope he was doing better than this.”

Ms. Dixon is currently a substitute teacher who has worked 22 days this year so far for a rate of $147.59 per day, city school officials said.

Ms. Dixon could not be reached for comment yesterday. She is quoted in the Post as pleading not to be kept in a news story, saying, “I know one thing. I’m going to destroy him. I don’t want no part of this.”