Posted by New York Gov. David Paterson says his new lieutenant governor won’t immediately preside over a special Senate session because pending legal action has muddied the situation.
A judge in Nassau County issued a temporary restraining order overnight barring former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Richard Ravitch from taking over as lieutenant governor. Republicans say the order blocks the Democratic governor from having Ravitch provide a tie-breaking vote in the deadlocked chamber.
Paterson says he’s taking the dispute to a state appeals court in Albany on Thursday.
Appointing Ravitch was supposed to help resolve a monthlong gridlock in the Senate that started when a mostly Republican faction tried to take power from the shaky Democratic majority in a June 8 coup.
Source: AP
