By Mary Malloy
Lt. Gov. David Paterson will replace him.
According to a number of reports, Spitzer-s troubles began after a bank reported to the Internal Revenue Service that significant amounts of money were being transferred from a bank account, later found to be linked to Spitzer. This initially led agents to believe the governor was involved in a money laundering scheme, but eventually it led them to a company called QAT, a prostitution operation running under the name of the Emperors Club VIP, prosecutors said.
I am shocked at the allegations, like all New Yorkers, said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, through her chief of staff, Rob Recklaus. I cannot speculate on [Spitzer-s] future now without knowing all of the facts.
On Monday, Spitzer made a brief public statement, apologizing to his family and his constituents whom I promised better ... I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.
For the family it is devastating, said Tom Dunham, a spokesman for Sen. Dean Skelos (R- Rockville Centre). Senator Skelos feels badly for the governor-s family. This is clearly a personal tragedy, however, there are numerous allegations of serious crimes that the governor committed. Right now, we are waiting for the legal process to play out, and for the governor-s decision about his own future.
Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) said he knows Spitzer well, and he is focusing on how devastating the situation is for the governor-s wife and children. Because of that, he said, he did not want to discuss its political ramifications.
It-s obviously a sad day for the governor and his family, said Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony Santino. It-s a sad moment in the history of the state. He set himself up as the paragon of civic virtue, but down deep he was apparently a very flawed person. This does a disservice to the entire political process.
On Wednesday, state Assemblyman Tom Alfano (R-Elmont) issued a statement. My thoughts and prayers are with Governor Spitzer-s family toda, Alfano said. We now must turn our attention to the job we-re supposed to do. I look forward to working with Governor Paterson and his team. Our focus must now be on our state budget. My priority is very simple. We must fight for our fair share of school aid that was cut in the governor-s budget. We have to stop the health care cuts to our hospitals and provide meaningful tax relief for homeowners. That-s what the people expect our state to do. It-s now time to get back to work for the people.
State Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt (R-East Meadow) also expressed sympathy for Spitzer-s wife and children, but said the first concern of his office right now is to get the state budget done by the April 1 deadline. It-s still sinking in, said McKevitt. My prayers go out to the family, but the best thing to do now is to let it play out and let me get to work on the budget. The work of the Legislature will go on.
McKevitt added that it is unfortunate that an event such as this tends to lower the public-s expectations of their government, and makes it difficult for citizens to maintain trust in elected officials.
Assemblyman David McDonough (D-North Merrick) said government continues to function in Albany, despite the scandal. On Tuesday morning, McDonough said, "We had delegation meetings this morning. We're not talking about the governor's problem. We're talking about the various lines of the budget."
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who lost to Spitzer in the Democratic primary battle for the party-s gubernatorial nomination in 2006, had issued no statement on the scandal as of press time Tuesday.
Republican legislators had threatened to impeach Spitzer if he did not resign.
Scott Brinton contributed reporting to this story. Comments about it? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
