A great day for New York

Written by: volney simmons on Mar 17, 2008 6:15 PM EDT

David Paterson's swearing-in today was marked by unbridled glee and goodwill on both sides of the aisle... to say nothing of the chants of "Da-vid, Da-vid," that interrupted his speech at various points.

Here is the heart of what he said:

"They call what we do public service for a reason: because it’s not politics. It’s not parties. It’s not power that counts at the end of the day. Those interests can vanish in a moment. It is the service that endures. It is service that is important. It is the service that is our mark. It is our measure. It is our record of performance.

"My colleagues, all of you in the Legislature, those who serve in the judiciary, State employees who work in our great agencies, isn’t that what called us to work in government in the first place?

"Then let us seize that poignant moment. Let us right here and now, let us grab the unusual opportunities that circumstance has handed us today, and put personal politics, party advantage and power struggles aside in favor of service, in the interests of the people.

"With the nation’s eyes upon him in 1964, Robert F. Kennedy once said, 'No matter how talented an individual may be, no matter how much energy he might possess, regardless of how much integrity and honesty he or she may have, if that person is alone, they can accomplish very little.'"

"And so what we are going to do from now on is what we always should have done. We’re going to work together."

Best wishes, David Paterson! New York is on the verge of a great new era.

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