Common Cause/NY is saddened by the situation which led to Governor Spitzer's resignation today. Our thoughts are with the Spitzer family and we hope that they will weather this storm.

At the same time, we look forward to working with Lt. Governor David Paterson as he assumes the responsibilities of the governorship of our great state. We are genuinely impressed with the bi-partisan reputation that precedes Mr. Paterson's entry to the Governor's Mansion and know firsthand that he is a strong supporter of meaningful reform.

On Monday, New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer held a news conference at New York City Hall to address newspaper reports that he had been directly involved in a prostitution ring. While Common Cause adheres to the core American belief that individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty, Governor Spitzer's brief statement did nothing to quell that suspicion.

Common Cause/NY is stunned and saddened by law enforcement allegations that Gov. Spitzer was involved in such activities. While news reports have raised concerns about the origins of the investigation, the allegations remain deeply troubling and problematic because Mr. Spitzer ran for governor of New York as an ethical reformer, and has spent his legal and political career fighting corruption. It is disappointing to see that an official with such promise, in whom so many New Yorkers had placed great hope, would allow himself to become embroiled in such a scandal.

Common Cause/NY believes an elected official's most important job is to uphold the public trust. And sadly, that appears now to be broken. As this saga unfolds, Common Cause/NY remains committed to working with New York's leaders to bring about the reforms that New Yorkers so clearly want. We invite you to join us in the ongoing fight for open and accountable state government.

Senator Joseph Bruno has just made headlines with a controversy revolving around the usage of taxpayer's money to fly to New York City from Albany. Documents show that he flew in a state helicopter to a New York City heliport and then had a state trooper escort him to the office building housing a major CEO who has donated to the state Republican Party.

This is unacceptable behavior for any public figure, including Bruno (or Governor Spitzer for that matter). To get approval for the helicopter, he had to sign a document saying that it was for legislative business, so he most likely has proof that he was doing more than fundraising. He also attacked Governor Spitzer's office for reporting him and even said of Governor Spitzer, "[he] does not understand that he is not a dictator." (As quoted in the New York Times article by Danny Hakim)

The life of a legislative district is not usually particularly remarkable. I am New York State Senate District 51. People often say I look like Abe Lincoln riding a vacuum cleaner. When people come up to me and say that I usually thank them for comparing me to such a great man and we laugh at the fact that it's actually quite absurd since of course vacuums didn't exist in the 1860s. But there's something quite disturbing about all this that I have been keeping to myself.