So much for a kinder, gentler Albany.
In the wake of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal that sunk the antagonistic governor, state lawmakers promised a peaceful coexistence that would lead to a more efficient New York.
Never mind. From the Daily News:
Chaos reigned Thursday at what was supposed to be a news conference for Paterson and lawmakers to lay out priorities for the rest of the legislative session.
Paterson sat back helplessly as Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver sniped at each other over everything from property taxes to the health of Syracuse.
The new governor finally showed his frustration when asked if he and the leaders were going to agree on an expansion of a mental health law to include posttraumatic stress disorder.
The governor half-jokingly bent over the lectern and simply put his head in his hands.
Asked again about the posttraumatic stress disorder bill, Paterson quipped, “I have it.”
A Paterson spokesman had to get Silver and Bruno to quiet down long enough to allow the governor to answer a reporter’s question.
There’s more bad news for Paterson. A new Quinnipiac University poll shows NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg is the top choice of most Empire State residents to be the governor come 2010. He scored 30 percent, followed by former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani at 26 percent. Paterson finished third at 23 percent. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was fourth at 15 percent.
