Pioneer governor being sworn in
In Harlem and other predominantly black neighborhoods, residents don’t much care how David Paterson becomes governor.
They just care that he is taking over the state’s top job.
The ascension of Paterson, the Democratic lieutenant governor, longtime lawmaker and heir to a Harlem political dynasty, has fueled a surge of black pride.
The 53-year-old Paterson will be sworn in today as New York’s first black and first legally blind governor, succeeding Democrat Eliot Spitzer, who announced his resignation after getting caught in a federal prostitution investigation.
The new governor, who served as lieutenant for 14 months, lives in an apartment complex in Harlem.
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