NASSAU County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a close polit ical ally of Gov. Paterson, has told Democratic activists that he doesn’t expect the embattled governor to seek election next year, sources have told The Post.
Suozzi, frequently mentioned as a possible Paterson running mate in 2010, made the explosive comments at what was supposed to be an “off the record” session earlier this month at Cantor Lukasik Dolce Panepinto, a strongly Democratic Buffalo law firm, witnesses said.
“He said he didn’t believe Paterson would run next year, that his polling numbers are real low and that they’re too low to overcome,” one witness told The Post.
“But he did say he’ll be with the governor until the governor said he isn’t going to run,” the witness continued.
Suozzi, on what appeared to be a campaign swing through Western New York at the same time he’s seeking re-election as county executive, also told the gathering that he’s likely to run for attorney general next year because incumbent Andrew Cuomo is all but certain to run for governor, the witnesses said.
“He was talking to us about his record in Nassau County and his basic political outlook, how he has tried to bring the two sides, labor and business, together,” according to a witness.
Suozzi insisted that he never predicted that Paterson won’t run next year, although he conceded that he had said the governor’s polling numbers are low and that he “might have said that the conventional wisdom” is that Paterson would not be a candidate.
“I did not hypothesize on what the governor is going to do,” said Suozzi, adding that he went to Buffalo only to promote a statewide property-tax cap.
Suozzi’s father, Joseph, is a name partner in the politically powerful Nassau law firm Meyer, Suozzi — at which Paterson’s father, Basil, is also a partner.
Suozzi was crushed by Eliot Spitzer in an ill-fated primary campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2006. He has sought to portray himself as a leading government reformer and advocate for capping the state’s runaway property taxes.
Critics have dubbed him “an ego in search of an office,” as Suozzi has traveled the state in recent months soliciting opinions from political leaders on what, if any, statewide office he should seek next year.
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Paterson, meanwhile, has further angered the Democratic Party and labor leaders who delivered the “shape up or ship out” ultimatum to the governor in Kingston last month.
“He made all kinds of promises, but hasn’t delivered on any of them,” said one of the Kingston participants.
About two weeks ago, “he promised there would be a meeting with us in 10 days,” fumed the Kingston participant. “I’m still waiting for the meeting to be scheduled.”