Spitzer resigns amid prostitution scandal
Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson will be sworn in Monday as New York's first African American governor.
NEW YORK — Two days after federal agents publicly identified Eliot Spitzer as a client of a high-priced prostitution ring, the first-term governor announced his resignation at a somber news conference Wednesday, relinquishing his duties to Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson.
Paterson, 53, who will be sworn in as New York's top state official Monday, will inherit a politically riven Legislature facing a $4.4-billion deficit.
Spitzer -- flanked by his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, who stood with her hands clasped behind her back -- apologized to his family and supporters during a nearly three-minute speech at his Midtown Manhattan office.
"In the past few days, I have begun to atone for my private failings with my wife, Silda; my children; and my entire family," he said. "The remorse I feel will always be with me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me."
Spitzer, 48, a father of three teenage daughters, made the announcement after staying holed up at home for more than 36 hours. The disgraced Democratic politician, who was a crusading state attorney general before being elected governor in November 2006, emerged from his 5th Avenue Manhattan residence surrounded by police just after 11:15 a.m. Spitzer's wife rode with him in a black SUV to the news conference, where nearly 100 reporters waited for his arrival, helicopters hovering above.
"There is much more to be done, and I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work," Spitzer said.
He ended his statement by offering his prayers for Paterson, whom he called a friend.
Paterson, a Democrat from Harlem who was first elected to the state Senate in 1985, will take on a laundry list of challenges, including passing a state budget by a March 31 deadline.
"He's entering a situation where the state has almost a $5-billion deficit and an economy that is underperforming," said Joseph Mercurio, a longtime political consultant in Manhattan. "He's got to figure out how to keep the state afloat in those conditions."
Paterson, who has been nearly sightless since birth, will become New York's 55th governor and the first African American to serve in the position.
In a statement after Spitzer's resignation, Paterson said: "Like all New Yorkers, I am saddened by what we have learned over the past several days."
- Spitzer named in plot to smear rival Mar 29, 2008
- Federal prosecutors will not charge Spitzer Nov 06, 2008
- Nation in Brief / NEW YORK - Spitzer drops plan for licenses Nov 14, 2007
