ALBANY — Gov. Paterson hunkered down in the walled-off Executive Mansion and begged state Democratic leaders for more time yesterday as a growing number of party members demanded his resignation.
The beleaguered governor made his plea in a dramatic high-noon summit attended by a succession of party leaders, led by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate boss John Sampson.
“Most of it was about the governor’s future,” one senior legislative source said of the 90-minute powwow. “It was conducted to a considerable degree in Paterson-speak, where he indirectly referred to his ability to hang on.”
“It had a tragic quality to it,” said a second source familiar with the meeting. “In his own unique way, he was begging to survive.”
Afterward, Silver (D-Manhattan) and Sampson (D-Brooklyn) each said they had not asked the governor to step down. “I don’t want to rush to judgment,” Sampson told The Post. “I want to let the investigation take its course.”
Silver said Paterson should not resign.
The governor explained his side of the story, saying that he asked his spokeswoman to call a woman who charged she had been attacked by one of Paterson’s aides only to find out if she was making a public statement about the incident, not to get her to downplay it.
Meanwhile, some grew impatient with Paterson’s stubborn stand in the wake of revelations he directed two state employees to contact the Bronx woman.
One passing motorist slowed in front of the Albany manse and cried out of his window, “Get him out of there!” as reporters swarmed outside the gates.
“It’s time for the governor’s soul-searching to end,” state Sen. Craig Johnson (D-LI) told The Post. “He should resign. This is bigger than David Paterson. This is about the millions of New York residents who look for leadership.”
Even US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who owes her job to Paterson’s appointment, said he should resign if the scandal accusations pan out.
“At the end of the day, if the allegations of abuse of power are true, then the governor will be unable to govern and he will have to step down,” Gillibrand told NY1.
“Domestic violence and abuse of power have no place in our society, and certainly no place in our government.”
Paterson also huddled with his handpicked state Democratic chairman, Jay Jacobs, who emerged from the Executive Mansion to ask the public to give Paterson a chance to explain his side of the events.
“There’s a misconception, as [Paterson] sees it,” Jacobs said. “From his perspective, it’s [his side of the story] got validity. He’s got to get that out and let it be judged.”
Asked if he expected more bombshells to come, the chairman replied, “I made the point that there shouldn’t be any more shoes to drop, and he said there would not be.”
After the summit, Paterson unexpectedly arrived at the Capitol and hustled into his secure office for a previously scheduled event.
The governor announced an 11 a.m. Cabinet meeting today, a move widely seen as an effort to appear in charge, despite the crisis.
“I have a cold,” Paterson quipped as he entered his office flanked by his entourage.
Some relief for Paterson came from a one-day Marist poll that found that only 28 percent of New Yorkers think he should resign, compared with 68 percent who think he should stay in office.