Assemblyman 109th Assembly District

ALBANY OFFICE:
Room 452, LOB, Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-5931
DISTRICT OFFICE:
3 Halfmoon Executive Park Drive • Clifton Park, NY 12065 •
(518) 371-0568

For Immediate Release Contact: Bob Reilly - (518)339-5419

February 26, 2010

***Statement***

Assemblyman Reilly: In time of crisis, lack of

leadership hurting New York State
“As the events and allegations surround Governor David Paterson have unfolded around
us, I am deeply troubled by the lack of leadership shown by our Governor during this
tumultuous time. Our state is in the middle of a financial crisis, the likes of which we have not
seen in decades. The lack of leadership shown by Governor Paterson is disturbing and the
ripple effect has begun to tarnish and disrupt the work of our state agencies. This is evident,
foremost, by the resignation of Denise O’Donnell, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, and the
stain on the reputation of the New York State Police, an agency with an impeccable reputation
for professionalism and public service.

The Governor has shown that he is not up to the job of leading this state. He has refused
to engage the Legislature in budget negotiations. A story published this morning by the Staten
Island Advance cites a source close to Lieutenant Governor Ravitch which states that Ravitch
hasn’t talked to the governor in over a month and cannot get face time with Paterson. He
likewise has not spoken with Assembly Speaker Silver in the past month. This shows a
systemic lack of leadership in a time when the state needs leaders.

This morning, Senator Liz Kruger called on the governor to hand over the duties of
negotiating the budget with the Legislature to Lieutenant Governor Ravitch. I stand with
Senator Kruger and support the call for the Lieutenant Governor to step up and work with us to
craft a budget that addresses the needs of this state during this fiscal crisis. Richard Ravitch has
shown throughout his career, the type of leadership and fiscal intelligence we can use at this
time.

While I respect the office of the governor, the allegations have distracted us from the
important work we are tasked with doing. Let Governor Paterson address the ethical questions
surrounding his administration, focus on running the State and working to restore the image of
our state agencies and state employees and let the Lieutenant Governor work with us to get the
State’s fiscal house in order.

With that said, I must reiterate that, if in fact these allegations are true, if in fact the
Governor pressured a woman to drop accusations of domestic abuse or used the powers of his
office to that effect, I have no choice but to call for his resignation.