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Albany, NY - Appellate Judge Overrules Decision to Block Appointment of Lt. Governor |
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Albany, NY - An appellate judge has overruled a decision that blocked Gov. David Paterson from appointing a lieutenant governor.
Paterson on Wednesday named Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor. He was hoping to break a leadership logjam in the state Senate.
The ruling by state Supreme Court Associate Justice Leonard Austin in Nassau County overturns a restraining order that Republicans had obtained earlier Thursday.
A separate hearing on whether Paterson can appoint a lieutenant governor is scheduled for Friday.
Paterson already swore in Ravitch on Wednesday night (at the Peter Luger steakhouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn), to try to help resolve a Senate standoff that had dragged on since June 8. The turmoil ended Thursday when the dissident Democrat who joined Republicans returned to the Democratic conference.
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1
Jul 09, 2009 at 07:15 PM Anonymous Says:
Richard Ravitch, the kind of, sort of lieutenant governor, signed his oath of office at the Peter Luger Steak House in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Wednesday night, he confirmed in a brief interview on Thursday.
On Wednesday night, he spoke to a Times reporter from Peter Luger shortly before his swearing in at 8 p.m., in a brief conversation that was difficult to hear over the noise of the restaurant.
“I just hope to help the state through a period of fiscal pressures and economic downturns, just as I have several times in the past,” he said then.
The governor’s office rushed to swear in Mr. Ravitch before Republicans could obtain a court order blocking him from taking office.
“They had a reservation for four people under the name of Ravitch for 7:45 p.m.,” said Marilyn Spiera, the president of Peter Luger Inc., who learned about the oath-taking on Thursday when she was contacted by The Times and was briefed on the situation by her staff. “They came a little early — I believe it was two men and two ladies — and they were joined by a fifth person and switched to a larger table. They drew out some documents, and they were very excited and everything. Mr. Ravitch said, ‘This is my favorite restaurant, and I wouldn’t take the oath of office anywhere else.’ People around them were trying to figure out what was going on.”
Ms. Spiera — whose father, Sol Forman, bought the historic restaurant in 1950, and whose family owns the two Peter Luger restaurants, in Brooklyn and in Great Neck, on Long Island — added: “It seemed to be a fait accompli. I don’t know what the legalities are. I only know from steak.”
Tom Hobby, the night manager at the Peter Luger restaurant in Williamsburg, was in the restaurant while Mr. Ravitch was signed in. “He introduced himself, said he had been appointed lieutenant governor, and said he was in a bit of a hurry,” Mr. Hobby recalled. “Needless to say, he was fairly busy on the phone the entire time. He was very excited.”
2
Jul 09, 2009 at 08:07 PM Anonymous Says:
Just so no one gets the wrong idea, this retaurant does not have hashgacha, nothwithstanding the yiddeshe sounding names.
3
Jul 09, 2009 at 09:39 PM Anonymous Says:
yhop.. his problem is he would had to sworn him in klien resturtant in williamsburg
4
Jul 09, 2009 at 11:44 PM Anonymous Says:
The steak cost a lot more them sushi and it is not Kosher
5
Jul 10, 2009 at 06:35 AM Anonymous Says:
Gottlieb's Deli is Just around the corner on Roebling Street.
6
Jul 10, 2009 at 05:06 PM Milhouse Says:
I don't understand what conceivable authority Patterson claims to have to appoint a Lt-Gov. Can I appoint one too? If I meet Shlomo Shamash at Gottleib's, and swear him in to be Lt-Gov, can he kick Ravitch out? After all, why not? The state constitution doesn't say I CAN'T appoint a Lt-Gov, does it? Of course it doesn't say I can, but nor does it say Patterson can, so what makes him better than me?
7
Jul 13, 2009 at 01:55 PM Anonymous Says:
The answer is that there is a different part of the NYS constitution and a related law, that can justify Patterson's position. But you have to ignore every rule of construction and common sense for Patterson to be correct. It is unfortunate that there are attorneys who defend him.