STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON

Governor David A. Paterson today announced that, at his request, former Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine and former State Senator John Dunne have both agreed to act as mediators in the ongoing leadership dispute in the State Senate. In addition, he announced that Chief Judge Jonathan Lippmann has also agreed, at his request, to preside over a special session if mediation does not resolve their differences. The Governor issued the following statement:

“All New Yorkers, myself included, have waited for the members of the Senate to move this process forward on their own terms but the business of the people of New York cannot and must not be put on hold any longer. I have given both sides every opportunity to come together and work things out among themselves and, for two full weeks, they have failed to do so. Until now, they have resisted third party mediation, but it is clear that outside intervention is the only way to resolve this stalemate and finish important business that affects the lives of New Yorkers and I am calling on both sides to meet with Mr. Lundine and Mr. Dunne on Monday in Albany to agree to use them as mediators.

“In addition, at my request, Chief Judge Lippmann has agreed to preside over a special session of the Senate so that we can pass critical legislation before the end of the month. The people of New York deserve better than to have important issues held up by a purely political process.”

Mr. Lundine, in addition to serving as Lieutenant Governor to former Governor Mario Cuomo, also served in Congress as a Representative for the Western Southern Tier of New York as well as Mayor of Jamestown, New York. While he serving as Jamestown Mayor, he received national attention as a result of the Labor Management strategy he implemented. Jamestown, long the center of labor strife, became a model for labor/management co-operation. As a Congressman, Mr. Lundine brought his labor/management ideas to Washington, and was instrumental in developing legislation that created labor/management councils and employee stock ownership plans. Most recently, Mr. Lundine chaired the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness.

Mr. Dunne has served as a legal scholar, activist, and former State Senator from 1966 to 1989. During that time, he served intermittently as Deputy Majority Leader. In addition, Mr. Dunne served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Throughout his local and State service, he actively practiced law on Long Island, as a partner in the national law firm of Rivkin, Radler, Dunne & Bayh. Mr. Dunne was awarded both the Edmund Randolph and the John Marshal awards for distinguished service and received the New York State Bar Association’s highest tribute, the 2006 Gold Medal Award, in honor of his outstanding career contributions and efforts in furtherance of the legal system.