Though Gov. Paterson has denied allegations he was kissing and cuddling a young woman at a New Jersey steakhouse on Saturday, his colleagues are outraged by the lunch date. The governor should be putting his energies towards the state of NY—now is not the time for nuzzling, they say from behind their cozy veil of anonymity.
"He's got all these things on his platter to worry about," one unnamed "prominent state Democrat" told the NY Post. "The budget he has to present on Tuesday, the Race to the Top [federal charter-school funding] due Tuesday, his campaign and its lack of cash—and he's out dressed like an actor from 'Saturday Night Fever' over at a New Jersey restaurant on a Saturday afternoon?" A tip from a neighboring diner led to an ambush of the governor at the steakhouse in Englewood. After the undesirable events of last week, even Paterson's staffers are frustrated. "Every time I think we're gaining some footage, the roof falls in and then the hail falls in the open roof and the foundation cracks," an insider told the NY Daily News. "This isn't what anyone signed up for."
His spokeswoman says the story about the "leggy Latina" is an outright lie, and identified the woman as Jennifer Jones, 34, a married mom who wanted advice about setting up an after-school program. According to Jones, Paterson is a friend of her husband. "Our kids spend time together. It's just upsetting." She said that she met the governor after dropping off her daughter at a soccer game. But at the restaurant, Paterson gave a slightly different story: "She works with me," he said. Paterson introduced his friend to a waiter as "a campaign manager or someone from his campaign." Other employees say the meeting looked friendly, but not inappropriate.
