A surprise choice by Governor Spitzer as his running mate back in February 2006, Paterson gambled that an office which had previously been a pit stop on the road to oblivion, except for Mario Cuomo, would be a better career path than competing to be senate majority leader in the event of a Democratic takeover of the senate.

Mr. Paterson won the gamble in a way no one predicted, with Mr. Spitzer’s premature departure over issues of the flesh. He has now been thrust into office just two weeks before the 2009 state budget is required by law to be adopted. That may be Albany’s excuse for postponing the legal deadline.

How will the rookie governor deal with the two powerful men who have spent years in “the Room”? Joseph Bruno and Sheldon Silver have served with three governors. Will Governor Paterson develop his own priorities, or will he stick with Mr. Spitzer’s choices?

Mr. Paterson does have a good personal relationship with Senator Bruno, stemming from the years they served together. Last year, Mr. Spitzer sought to have Democratic senators complain about Mr. Bruno’s tax returns, but Mr. Paterson balked at the request.

Assuming that Mr. Paterson’s amicable and ingratiating manner is the counterpoint to Mr. Spitzer’s high handed ways, will that produce any better results in negotiating with the surviving Big Two?

The chances are that Mr. Paterson will do better than expected. First, he will not arouse the personal animosity that Mr. Spitzer was so quick to engender both by his language and by his obvious contempt for the lesser mortals around him. Second, after the disputatious year 2007, legislators will want to settle down and show that they can get along with each other. While it is too early to predict an Era of Good Feeling, such as how President Madison’s administration was characterized, state officials will try to avoid public controversies, at least for a while. There is an unexpected opportunity for a second honeymoon. Still, the real David Paterson is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, as Winston Churchill once described the Soviet Union. He was not a lifelong resident of Harlem but was born in Brooklyn, where his parents lived, on May 20, 1954. Later they moved to Hempstead and his father became a partner in a high-powered law firm in Mineola.

After graduating from Columbia University and Hofstra Law School, he worked for the Queens district attorney as a criminal law investigator. He did not pass the New York State bar examination, a problem he attributes to the failure to make adequate accommodation for his extremely limited eyesight so that he could finish the six-hour examination on time.

He is legally blind, although he has limited sight out of one eye, a condition he has had since birth. Mr. Paterson has an excellent memory, and gives compelling speeches on substantive issues. His achievements, despite his disability, are inspiring, and he will be a role model for many others with similar issues.

A great deal depends on who the new governor chooses for his staff, and whether he picks new commissioners. We have read that he has chosen Bill Lynch Associates to assist with his transition. Mr. Lynch was deputy mayor and political advisor to Mayor Dinkins. Mr. Paterson’s colleagues in the legislature praise his skills in dealing with people, which he certainly showed by lining up 15 Democratic votes to displace Martin Connor as the Senator minority leader in 2002. Mr. Paterson became the minority leader for four years until he ran with Mr. Spitzer in 2006. As a state senator, he ran unsuccessfully for public advocate and Manhattan borough president, showing a desire for higher office.

No one speaks ill of David Paterson, and in my own limited experience with him, he has been kind and thoughtful. I really like him. He is not cavalier in dealing with people of lesser importance. People respect him. Years ago, he proposed that police officers be permitted only to shoot to wound, not to kill, but withdrew that notion in the face of public disapproval. He is pro-choice and supports gay marriage. His positions are what one might expect from a liberal Democrat from the Upper West Side and Harlem.

Now, for the first time, Mr. Paterson will have to confront budget issues, choose among priorities, and disappoint people who do not get what they want. The forces of the status quo, emboldened by the departure of Governor Spitzer, will press heavily to maintain their privileged positions. We will see soon enough whether the new governor challenges his colleagues or compromises with them.

Lets hope that Governor Paterson will have the intelligence, the strength, and the courage to provide leadership for New York State. His adversaries will be numerous.

Most New Yorkers, disillusioned by the last 14 months, are rooting for him and hope that he will not let them down.

Mr. Stern, president of New York Civic, was New York City’s parks commissioner under Mayors Koch and Giuliani.