David Paterson, CC '77 and an adjunct professor at the School of International and Public Affairs, was sworn in as Governor of New York Monday afternoon.

Paterson, the former Democratic state senator from West Harlem who served in the largely ceremonial post of Lieutenant Governor under Eliot Spitzer, has spent the weekend preparing to take over the state’s executive branch following Spitzer's resignation. Paterson is the first African-American governor of New York.

Spitzer announced his resignation on Wednesday after he was found to be a client of a high-end prostitution ring. The scandal was particularly shocking considering the former governor’s crusade against ethical violations in politics and business, and it came on the heels of a year of intense criticism in Albany.

Now, many view the inauguration of a new governor as fresh start for the state legislature.

Senator Bill Perkins (D-West Harlem), Paterson’s friend and successor as West Harlem state senator, called the transition of power to Paterson’s hands an opportunity “that will guide this ship of state through these rocky waters.”

For Paterson, now 53, New York politics runs in the family. His father, Basil Paterson, was West Harlem’s state senator in the 1960s and later became New York secretary of state. The elder Paterson was also essential to founding the “Harlem Clubhouse,” which has dominated local politics since the 1960s, along with Congressman Charles Rangel (D-Harlem), former mayor and now SIPA professor David Dinkins, and former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton. Basil Paterson also ran for lieutenant governor, but not with the success his son would have years later.

David Paterson’s achievements have also been recognized outside of the political realm. Last year, the University honored him as a notable Columbia College alumnus with a John Jay award. In his acceptance speech, he reflected nostalgically on his alma mater and joked about his college days. “When I finally graduated,” he said, “there were people there who graduated summa cum laude, there were people there ... who graduated magna cum laude, there were people who found so many other things to do at Columbia than study, that we graduated Thank You Laude.”

Several years after graduation, Paterson began to follow in his father’s footsteps as a neighborhood political activist. In 1985, he was elected to represent West Harlem in the New York State Senate and by 2002 became the first non-white minority leader. Spitzer sought out Paterson to be his running mate in his 2006 gubernatorial bid, and after soundly defeating their Republican opponents, they were sworn into their positions in January 2007.

Paterson’s political successes are especially impressive considering that he has transcended the limitations of a physical disability. Although the lieutenant governor is legally blind, colleagues and supporters praise him for seeing in ways few other politicians can.

“One thing you’ll notice when David Paterson speaks to you, he looks you directly in the eye. And you don’t even know that he’s blind when you first start speaking to him,” SIPA professor Esther Fuchs said. “He’s just sort of an extraordinary listener. He engages with people. There’s an optimistic world view, an amazingly pragmatic approach to getting the job done, and a man who people like and trust.”

Spitzer submitted a statement to University President Lee Bollinger for the 2007 John Jay Awards commending Paterson’s moral compass. “Throughout his historic role in various levels of elected office, Lt. Gov. Paterson has truly upheld your institution’s overall philosophy of excellence, having realized many accomplishments while maintaining personal integrity and an outstanding record of leadership,” Spitzer’s statement read. “David Paterson not only embodies the positive character that is the hallmark of all Columbia graduates, but has gone on to succeed in so many areas of public life.”

Spitzer’s assessment was readily corroborated by Paterson’s peers.

“This is not a prosecutor or somebody who sees himself as ethically superior or morally superior than anybody else, you know,” Fuchs said, comparing Paterson to Spitzer. “He’s obviously got strong sense of public service, strong ethics, strong morals, and he doesn’t preach. So, you know, really, really dramatically different.”

State political pundit Gerald Benjamin, GSAS ’68 and ’70, noted that, while Paterson is known to be influenced by diverse interests, the newly inaugurated Governor’s Columbia ties may help the University. Benjamin said that the lieutenant governor “knows Columbia. He knows its needs. That could certainly be sympathetic to Columbia.”

At a Harlem Tenants Council meeting on Saturday, director Nellie Bailey and others discussed the implications of the Albany regime change on the local level. Calling Paterson by a name that has been echoing around the neighborhood lately, “Son of Harlem,” Bailey lauded his “record of tenacious fighting and strategic thinking.”

Addressing the Council on Paterson’s potential role in Columbia’s Manhattanville campus project through eminent domain, she recalled an August 2005 City Hall press conference held during his tenure as State Senate Minority Leader, in which he called for a moratorium on its use.

But Bailey believes that, for now, it is best to remain cautiously optimistic about how Paterson’s past policy will translate into his new role as Governor.

“Already, the New York City real estate industry has come out and is beginning to attack Paterson on the issue of eminent development projects and what his visions might be on eminent domain,” she explained to the Council.

Though Bailey and the Council call Paterson one of their own and the Governor’s primary residence is still in Harlem, the former Lieutenant Governor is relatively unknown throughout the rest of the state. A recent Marist poll revealed that, before the Spitzer debacle, 48% of New York voters either had not heard of him or felt they could not evaluate his performance in office.

As Paterson plays catch up, Benjamin predicted that the new governor will focus on maintaining continuity during the transition, focusing primarily on the state budget. Though Spitzer was in the midst of a major initiative to advance public universities in the state, the extent to which Paterson will advance that project and its impact on private universities like Columbia, remains to be seen.

Paterson “brings a certain symbol of diversity to the state,” Benjamin said. Yet, the new governor’s ties to the political establishment indicate his move into power “will not be winds of change at all,” he added.

Still, Bailey believes that Paterson’s long-established political roots won’t hold him to any certain ground. “He has been thrust into a historic position at a historic moment,” she said.