In the latest "Can Governor Paterson lead? No" blitz (yesterday, sources called him "insanely mercurial"), Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver tells the Daily News, "I think it would be good" if Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch handled critical budget talks with the Legislature. Silver, who already praised Ravitch in the NY Times, explained, "I think he might have some, I'll call it, out-of-the-box thinking that may move us toward resolution. Obviously, everything he does would be at the behest of the governor."
Obviously—but Ravitch and Paterson haven't spoke in weeks. Further, Paterson allegedly feels "betrayed" by Silver. The Post spoke to someone close to Silver, "David truly believes he gave Shelly all these big favors, including appointing Ravitch and naming the new chief judge"—who is Silver's childhood buddy from the Lower East Side—"and that Silver turned on him anyway... [Paterson]'s saying 'despite all I did for him,' Shelly turned against him."
There's concern whether Paterson can effectively negotiate the budget: While State Senator Eric Adams says, "The governor is only under investigation. He can handle one state. He can continue with budget negotiations," the Manhattan Institute's E.J. McMahon, who worked under former Governor Pataki, tells WCBS 2 that Paterson "can only negotiate with people who don't want to negotiate with him and want him to go away."
