David Paterson. (Photo: Getty)

Former Governor David Paterson, who took the state's top executive post after Eliot Spitzer suddenly resigned amid a prostitution scandal, says he might not be done with politics just yet.

"I love public service. I love the people who do it," Mr. Paterson answered this morning when asked whether he'd run for veteran Congressman Charlie Rangel's seat if the incumbent retired. "I would listen to people."

Specifically, Mr. Paterson, a Democrat, cited a lack of leadership in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as a possible motivation for running. He further complained that important issues, like student loan debt and housing foreclosures, were not getting the attention they deserved.

"Nobody seems willing to get up and take on any issue unless they're in the majority," Mr. Paterson, speaking in a talk radio interview with New York Post columnist Fred Dicker, explained. “And when that happens, it means that they're deal-makers rather than leaders. And that compromise that people make--just that little compromise--inevitably leads to corruption. Every time."

At the same time, the former governor also expressed reservations about making such a bid. First of all, he predicted that Mr. Rangel, an octogenarian who has done almost no fund-raising since his narrow re-election victory last year, would nevertheless seek another term. Additionally, Mr. Paterson said he felt very comfortable in private life and he might be too old for such a bid anyway.

"I wake up in the morning, everything is not my fault--it's really a great feeling," he said. "I'd be 60 years old at the time I took the seat, ... so I can almost put it to bed and say 'no.' But then I watch the political landscape these days and I just feel that people are not talking about some of the issues that are really affecting people."

For his part, Mr. Rangel has not announced his intentions. Other potential candidates include Mr. Rangel's 2010 challenger, State Senator Adriano Espaillat, former Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV and Assemblyman Keith Wright.

(Photo: Getty)

Former Governor Eliot Spitzer, never a fan of the current governor, yesterday blasted his hiring and spending practices at the Empire State Development Corporation. A recent front-page New York Times story suggested Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration prefers politically connected hires, an implication Mr. Spitzer wholly agreed with.

"There has been a problem at ESDC," Mr. Spitzer told Road to City Hall host Errol Louis during last night's program. "I think that The New York Times article was very clear in that is merely the top layer of the onion in terms of politics being pervasive in hiring, leaving and pushing substance to the side."

Mr. Spitzer also tore into the agency's ad campaign promoting the state's economic growth, arguing that it amounted to "fluff."

"There has not been coherence at ESDC. They have spent who knows how much money on TV ads that are fluff and a waste of taxpayer money," Mr. Spitzer said. "When I talk to people upstate about where the funds are going, they are not being spent wisely, there is not creative thinking about it. And I'm deeply troubled by this and I think that what we saw in that little window into ESDC is problematic and I think that raises issues that really need to be pursued."

Mr. Louis pushed back, asking Mr. Spitzer, who resigned as governor in 2008, whether the officials should be judged by whether economic growth is actually achieved, rather than by the process of their hiring practices.

"When you look at ESDC hiring, I remember we would hire people with a deep, extensive background in economic development and knowing how to negotiate with companies to leverage limited dollars into more hiring. Those are the things---the metrics--you use and want to look at, not people who happen to be the sons, daughters, colleagues of people who make big contributions," Mr. Spitzer replied.

Mr. Cuomo's office, which denied politics factor into their hiring practices, did not immediately return a request for comment.

However, a Cuomo spokesman has previously said, “The Governor’s office has no comment on anything Spitzer says.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo shot down a report Monday that he's been telling confidantes he knows he can’t run for president in 2016 if Hillary Clinton enters the race.

“There is no truth to the assertion that I’m talking presidential politics and strategy and what Hillary Clinton should do or shouldn’t do or what I’m doing presidentially," Mr. Cuomo told WCNY's Susan Arbetter this morning.

"The only discussions I’m having are about how to help the state, how to get the state running, how to make the government a better government," he added. "And to the extend I’m focusing on politics, it’s my race next year."

The remarks came in response to a story by the New York Post's Fred Dicker, whose once-cozy relationship with the Governor has grown increasingly chilly in recent month. Mr. Dicker claimed that Mr. Cuomo is now resigned to the fact that there's no chance he can mount a run for the White House if Ms. Clinton  decides to enter the race--an assertion Mr. Cuomo dismissed as "Monday rumors" without referencing Mr. Dicker by name.

“As you know, I go to great lengths not to engage in politics writ large, but especially not presidential politics,” he maintained. “Hillary Clinton is gonna do whatever Hillary Clinton’s gonna do and I’m doing what I’m doing and I’m focusing on running this state and doing it the best I can and that’s all there is to that,” he said.

“I understand the press appeal of presidential politics,” he said. “But no, I’m doing what I’m doing.”

Mr. Cuomo also insisted that there’s been no change to his approach to governing—despite Mr. Dicker’s lamentations that he's swung to the left this year in an attempt to court Democratic Party Party brass, with major pushes for gun control legislation and a new women’s equality bill.

And he rejected speculation that his agenda will have to change because of his sliding poll numbers, which, Ms. Arbetter noted, could make his 2014 re-election bid substantially more difficult.

“I think the agenda that I laid out in the State of the State is the same agenda we’ve been pursuing. So we started this in January. It is an agenda that is socially progressive and fiscally responsible. I’ve been doing the same thing since the day I was elected,” he said.

“It’s been about getting the state’s economy running and measures to create and incentivize job creation all across the state—but especially upstate--and how does New York regain its mantle as being socially progressive,” he said, pointing to marriage equality as an example of  left-leaning legislation passed early on in his term.

“The duality of the agenda that I started is what we’re going to continue on,” he said.

He also rejected the idea that his ability to move his agenda forward has been hampered by his sliding poll numbers, which nonetheless remain strong.

“I don’t think the legislature passes a bill because of a governor’s popularity," he argued. "It tends to be the popularity of the issue and their stance on their issues, which is what it should be,” he said, arguing that helping fiscally distressed upstate cities, women’s equality and legalizing casinos were all “very popular issues."

"I don’t think legislators are going to want to go home to their districts saying, you know, 'I voted against cleaning up Albany, I voted against helping upstate cities, I voted against women’s equality,'” he said.

Cambridge, Massachusetts earlier today. (Photo: Getty)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have canceled his morning radio appearance today in response to the ongoing manhunt for a suspect involved in Monday's deadly bombing attack on the Boston Marathon, but another top New York official, Governor Andrew Cuomo, scheduled his own radio interview on The Capitol Pressroom soon after. Mr. Cuomo directly addressed the high-profile situation in the Bay State by employing a phrase he previously used to describe climate change in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: "the new normal."

"It's a terrible situation in Boston. And, unfortunately, ... one gets the sense that this is more reflective of the 'new normal,' if you will," he explained. "So much of society is changing so rapidly. We talk about a 'new normal' when it comes t0 climate change and adjusting to a change in the weather patterns. 'New normal' when it comes to public security in a post-9/11 world. Where these random acts of violence, which at one time were implausible, now seem all-too-frequent."

Additionally, Mr. Cuomo said New York police units are on stand-by and assisting authorities in Boston. The governor further noted that he worked with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick during their shared time in former President Bill Clinton's administration some years ago.

"I have been in contact. Our offices have been in contact and our respective officials have been talking," he said. "I'm wanted him to know that we're here for him. The authorities have been cooperating. We have a very good relationship with Massachusetts. They've been very kind to us in many circumstances ... I'm a big fan of Deval's. We were together in the Clinton administration so I know him personally and he's doing a very good job."

(Photo: Getty)

Two weeks ago, Democratic State Sen. Malcolm Smith was arrested and charged with trying to bribe his way into the Republican mayoral primary, prompting cries for reform from both ends of the political spectrum. Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo rolled out a series of proposals that he hopes will address many of these concerns.

"You've heard the expression pay to play, this is pay to run," Mr. Cuomo said at a press conference announcing the measures. "The allegations that the minor parties basically, on occasion, have used campaign contributions to determine who gets the line and it's almost that the line goes to the highest bidder."

Specifically, Mr. Cuomo proposed an end to the Wilson-Pakula Act, a 1947 law which mandates that a candidate must obtain the permission of party leaders to compete in that party's primary if he or she is currently enrolled in a different party. Instead, Mr. Cuomo said candidates would simply collect signatures to petition for a ballot line regardless of their enrollment.

In another attempt to reduce the power of the political parties, Mr. Cuomo said he wants to alter enrollment deadlines to make it easier for candidates to change their affiliation. Currently, if a voter or candidate currently decides to change their affiliation, it's is not valid until the next general election year. Under Mr. Cuomo's proposal, a voter’s party registration change would take effect in just three months, perhaps eliminating the need for Mr. Smith to deal with allegedly corrupt party bosses to begin with.

Echoing others who have called the State Board of Elections a "toothless tiger," Mr. Cuomo also said he would seek to create an independent enforcement unit at the B.O.E. that would be authorized to investigate possible violations of election laws.

Last week Mr. Cuomo additionally proposed a number of other legislative changes to toughen the state's bribery laws and make it easier for district attorneys to prosecute political corruption.

(Photo: Getty)

The State Legislature is set to look at tightening New York's infamously loose campaign finance rules in the wake of a recent slate of corruption scandals, but State Sen. Rubén Díaz believes legislative attention should instead be focused on Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"I would like to recommend that ethics reform in New York State begin in the Governor's mansion," Mr. Díaz declared today in one of his regular "What You Should Know" statements. "While we consider how to restrict Senate campaign donations that are used to pay for meals, I would like my readers to know that many of my colleagues are routinely invited to the Governor's mansion to eat his food and drink his wine with no oversight to who pays those bills."

This is not the first time Mr. Díaz has deflected the news of State Senator Malcolm Smith's arrest--along with other officials in the State Assembly and City Council--to other topics. Indeed, earlier this month, he reminded his readers that both Mr. Cuomo Mayor Michael Bloomberg have also used money in pursuit of their various legislative and electoral goals, although through legal channels.

Today, Mr. Díaz, an outspoken reverend and constant critic of Mr. Cuomo's, paid particular attention to the Committee to Save New York, an organization that has spent millions supporting Mr. Cuomo's policy agenda.

"We should be more concerned with stopping big money influence of corporations, groups and people that are getting access to meetings with Governors and others by contributing big donations," the senator continued. "Amen."

View Mr. Díaz's full missive below:

You should know that today the New York State Senate will begin a public push to limit how Senate campaign funds can be spent. These campaign funds are donations from individuals and organizations given with the understanding that the candidate will use them as they see fit - like renting a car and paying for meals.

You should also know that while this effort to turn up the heat on Senators has begun, there is still no effort underway to restrict what Governor Cuomo does with resources he raises, and no demand for a complete disclosure of the names of the donors from the Committee to Save New York - his ally - a private lobbying committee not subject to state campaign finance law. The names of many of their donors remain in the shadows.

The Committee to Save New York has been lockstep with Governor Cuomo's agenda and has spent more money on lobbying activities in 2012 than any other group.

You should know that the billionaires and business leaders who support Governor Cuomo's Committee to Save New York have won billions in government bailouts. Now they insists upon “fiscal responsibility” for the rest of New York.

I would like to recommend to my colleagues that instead of going after each other and restricting how much money we spend from our donors to rent cars and pay for dinners for our campaigns, that we focus our attention on reviewing policy payoffs that impact our ability to legislate on behalf of our constituents - instead of on behalf of the groups who lobby and profit from their participation of the Committee to Save New York.

I would like to recommend that ethics reform in New York State begin in the Governor's mansion.

While we consider how to restrict Senate campaign donations that are used to pay for meals, I would like my readers to know that many of my colleagues are routinely invited to the Governor's mansion to eat his food and drink his wine with no oversight to who pays those bills.

While we consider how to restrict Senate campaign donations that are used to rent cars, I would like my readers to know that this past Thursday JCOPE quietly posted on their website on state ethics ruling that Governor Cuomo can bring Sandra Lee, his girlfriend and Food Network star who lives with him in Westchester County, along with his daughters on the state aircraft with him when he's on official business.

While we consider how to restrict Senate campaign donations that are used for our cell phones, You should know that the millions of dollars raised by the Committee to Save New York to expand casino gambling needs should be investigated.

You should know that corruption in New York State needs to be thoroughly investigated, and is far more important that the way we spend money donated to us from our supporters - who donate with the full knowledge that we decide how to spend it.

We should be more concerned with stopping big money influence of corporations, groups and people that are getting access to meetings with Governors and others by contributing big donations and by the conflict of interest of legislators serving as of-counsels and those that are board members of institutions whose leaders contribute big money. Amen.

This is Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.

(Photo: Getty)

This afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo officially announced his pick to head the Metropolitan Transit Authority, left vacant over 100 days ago when then-Chairman Joe Lhota resigned to pursue a mayoral campaign: M.T.A. Interim Executive Director Tom Prendergast. And Mr. Lhota told Politicker he couldn't be more pleased with the selection.

"Tom Prendergast is a superb choice and he has a unique understanding of the system," Mr. Lhota proclaimed. “And I know of no one who cares more for the customers and the riders than Tom Prendergast. As chairman, I relied on him more than anyone and I think it's a great choice."

Mr. Cuomo, in a statement, was similarly effusive.

“The MTA plays a vital role in New York’s economy and the daily lives of the millions of commuters who use its services," the governor said. "Tom has vast experience in infrastructure and transportation and has spent years managing commuter railroads as well as New York City’s subways and buses. From the track bed to the budget to modernizing our system for the 21st Century, I can’t imagine anyone having a better understanding of how the region’s vast system operates and the challenges that it faces.”

Mr. Prendergast, who still faces approval in the State Senate, was seen as the most likely candidate for the job and was touted by both transit advocates and the transport workers union as the top choice for the job. In particular, they pointed to Mr. Prendergast's management experience--he was president of M.T.A. New York City Transit for the three years, for example.

"The long overdue appointment of Thomas Prendergast as Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is encouraging news," Transportation Alternatives, a public transportation advocacy group, announced in a separate statement. "As the head of New York City Transit during the roll-out of Select Bus Service, Mr. Prendergast is particularly well-positioned to provide much-needed leadership in this area."

For his part, Mr. Prendergrast labeled the nomination "an incredible honor."

“It is an incredible honor to be nominated to lead the largest transportation network in North America, and to work with Governor Cuomo and his administration on the many challenges facing the MTA,” he said in the statement released by the governor's office. “The MTA will improve the customer experience, operate more efficiently and build for the future. And we will aggressively rebuild smarter and better in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy .... I look forward to working with the governor, his management team, the MTA Board and the 66,000 dedicated employees of the MTA family.”

Governor Cuomo speaking at the press conference.

After a series of New York officials were arrested and charged with corruption last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo says he has the solution--or at least the first step. Accordingly, at press conference earlier this afternoon, Mr. Cuomo unveiled a legislative package aimed at curbing the problem.

"Over the past few days, there have been several charges brought against public officials; they span city and state government," he began. "And they paint a truly ugly picture of our political landscape. I'd like to say that this is an unprecedented situation, that public corruption is a new problem. But it isn't and, in many ways, that's what makes it worse."

Mr. Cuomo's bill, "The Public Trust Act," mostly focuses on law-and-order deterrence, including loosening the legal standards necessary to prove bribery, toughening the penalty for those convicted and criminalizing failure to report bribery. Additionally, he is pushing to give state prosecutors the ability to prosecute grand jury witnesses if evidence--independent of their testimony--emerges of criminal wrongdoing.

Of course, there is no way to completely eliminate corruption from government, as Dean Skelos, the leader of the State Senate's Republican conference, pointed out in statement reacting to Mr. Cuomo's announcement. Mr. Skelos vowed to take action but declared "no legislation can prevent someone from committing a corrupt act."

For his part, Mr. Cuomo agreed, and reiterated several times that official misconduct is inevitable.

"There has been a long list of public officials who get into trouble--by the way, not just in this state, but in every state across the country," he said at one point. "You have a bad combination of chemicals. You have power, you have money, you have ambition, you have greed. You put all those chemicals in one test tube, you shake it up and bad things happen."

Additional reporting by Ross Barkan.

(Photo: Getty)

Although the New York Post ran a front-page story today reporting that Governor Andrew Cuomo is seriously considering a coup d'etat against influential Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, the governor himself is denying any such scheme exists.

"It is wholly up to the legislative bodies to select a leader," Mr. Cuomo said on The Capitol Pressroom this morning. “I would never, even for a moment, try to influence that decision."

The report, which is already subject to some rivalry between the Post and the New York Daily News, further claimed that Mr. Cuomo's motivation for the ousting came from last week's high-profile corruption scandals. But Mr. Cuomo said today that he didn't even view the main scandal as an Albany problem.

"In terms of Speaker Silver, remember again the context. First of all, this is basically--the actions that have been revealed, the majority of the actions and the players--it was about a New York City mayoral scandal," he argued. "It was not an Albany scandal; I know we now use 'Albany' as sort of a broad brush to mean all electoral and campaign issues, but it was primarily about New York City."

The Capitol Pressroom's host, Susan Arbetter, pointed out that two of those involved, Assemblymen Nelson Castro and Eric Stevenson, were allegedly involved in a bribery plot that involved drafting legislation in the State Assembly, but Mr. Cuomo insisted that Mr. Silver could not be held at fault for that incident either.

"Then you had two assemblymen, who were relative newcomers to the Assembly I might add," he explained. "These are people who knew the law, they knew they spoke about violating the law and they knew people went to jail for it. And these people, as individuals, decided to break the law; that's what they did. And now they're going to be punished. So I don't know what culpability you could place on anyone but those individuals."

Mr. Cuomo went on to tout his recent budget negotiations with the State Legislature and said things have been "going well" with Mr. Silver.

Andrew Cuomo. (Photo: Getty)

Governor Andrew Cuomo is not happy about the barrage of corruption charges hitting various New York lawmakers throughout the week, including State Senator Malcolm Smith, City Councilman Dan Halloran and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson. Accordingly, Mr. Cuomo released a statement this afternoon detailing his disgust.

“The allegations of public corruption by City and State officials revealed this week are appalling," the governor declared. "New Yorkers deserve a government that is as good as the people it serves and the events of the last few days fail this and every standard of public service .... Those of us committed to the public and honored to hold its trust have zero tolerance for the actions brought to light this week, and will continue to use our power to fight to ensure integrity and trust to government in New York.”

Mr. Cuomo, the state's former attorney general, went on to tout his own record of prosecuting officials accused for abusing their offices.

"As Attorney General I prosecuted numerous public corruption cases, including putting former Senator Espada and Comptroller Hevesi behind bars, and believe firmly that anytime the public’s trust is violated, we must act quickly and aggressively to hold the guilty parties accountable," he continued. "I commend US Attorney Preet Bharara, District Attorney Robert Johnson and their partners in law enforcement on their dedication to prosecuting corruption at every level."