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A Governor from the City?Good times may be ahead for the Big Apple if Spitzer wins
After 12 years with Peekskill’s George Pataki (R) as governor, some city advocates see hope on the horizon.
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, whom almost everyone expects to win the Democratic primary and general election, hails from the Bronx. He has lived in Manhattan most of his adult life, and calls an apartment on Fifth Avenue home.
Someone who has walked the streets of New York every day, some say, would more likely be more invested in what those streets look like.
“He has more of a day-to-day experience with an urban environment,” said Assembly Member Jonathan Bing (D-Manhattan), who counts Spitzer among his East Side constituents, adding that Spitzer would be “more sensitive to things on the city level.”
Spitzer might not be alone. His lieutenant governor running mate, David Paterson, lives across town. All-but-certain to be reelected Comptroller Alan Hevesi lives across the East River in Queens. And the northernmost major party candidate for attorney general lives no more than 30 miles away.
Not to mention Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D), who hails from Lower Manhattan.
August might seem a little early to start thinking about what the city might look like under Gov. Eliot Spitzer, but the polls have long made it clear that if Spitzer’s margin of victory in November is less than 15 percent, it will be fair to call it a disappointment.
Rosie Mendez
Christopher Taylor
Anne Downey
Eric Schneiderman