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David A. Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is the New York State Senator representing the 30th district. He is currently running for Lieutenant Governor in the 2006 New York gubernatorial election after being selected by by New York Attorney General and Democratic Party nominee Eliot Spitzer.
Paterson was born legally blind in Brooklyn in 1954. He received a BA from Columbia University in 1977 and later his law degree from Hofstra Law School. After law school, he went to work for the Queens District Attorney's Office, after which he was elected to the State Senate representing Harlem in 1984.
In November 2002, Senator Paterson made history when he was elected Senate Minority Leader, becoming the first non-white legislative leader in New York State history, as well as the first visually-impaired senior member of New York's state government. As Senate Minority Leader, Senator Paterson is also the highest-ranking African-American elected official in New York State.
As a member of the Democratic National Committee and a board member of the Democratic Legislature Campaign Committee, Senator Paterson is increasingly recognized as a rising figure in the Democratic Party. He was invited to address the delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 as well as the Democratic mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, underscoring his reputation as a gifted and sought-after leader.
As Senate Minority Leader, Senator Paterson elevated his long-time commitment to reforming Albany into a statewide crusade. Having joined a Senate Reform Task Force in 1991, his new position as Minority Leader allowed him to bring reform to center stage. He has demanded reforms of the state lobbying laws, of state procurement procedures, and of campaign finance rules.
Before last year, New York's state budget had not been passed on time for twenty years; Senator Paterson thus proposed bills compelling legislators to remain in Albany until a budget had been passed. Reforming Albany has been his primary goal since joining the Senate and it remains his central goal today.
Senator Paterson put New York's health care crisis front and center, issuing a comprehensive report on New York's Medicaid program. He proposed many innovations and effective tactics used by other states (including the bulk purchasing of medicines, a preferred drug list, and the increasing use of information technology in health care) that if implemented, would lower county and local taxes, vastly improve Medicaid's efficiency, and extend health care coverage to every qualified New Yorker.
Keenly aware of the importance of stem cell research, Senator Paterson has led the way to bring this research in New York State, having proposed legislation authorizing a $1 billion voter-approved stem cell research initiative.
His program would support New York's vast pool of scientific talent to fund stem cell research programs, offering hope for millions of New Yorkers with diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries. At the same time his proposal would transform New York's health care industry, creating thousands of high paying jobs, and position New York as a leader in bio-tech research.
Senator Paterson is nationally recognized as a leading advocate for the visually and physically impaired. He was elected as a member of the American Foundation for the Blind, and also serves as a board member of the Achilles Track Club, having completed the New York City Marathon in 1999. Senator Paterson lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson. They have two children: Ashley, who will be attending Ithaca College this fall, and Alex, who attends school in New York City.
External links
- Project VoteSmart - Senator Paterson Biography
- Official New York State Senate Member Website
- Biography: New York State Democrats
- Senator David Patterson: What Others Are Saying List of accolades posted to Eliot Spitzer's gubernatorial campaign website.
- Paterson: Race Traitor Critical essay written by Michael Myers and published in The New York Press.
- New York Elections