Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Good Bye, Pataki...Hello, Spitzer
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 1, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 1, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
At midnight, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer was sworn in as the 54th Governor of New York. The NY Times reports that during the private ceremony (the public inauguration will be today at 1PM, pushed back an hour because of the weather) that federal judge Robert W. Sweet swore in his former clerk, that guests cheered, "Go get 'em, Eliot!" after he took the oath, and that a 12-liter bottle of Veuve-Clicquot was very difficult to open.
Excerpts of Spitzer's inaugural speech were released in anticipation of this afternoon. The big theme is changing Albany.
Over the last decade, we have seen what can happen when our government stands still in the face of great challenge and inevitable change. We've seen it in the burdensome property taxes and the health care we can't afford; in the jobs that have disappeared from our upstate cities and the schools that keep failing our children; in a government that works for those who hold office - not those who put them there.
The reform we seek is substantial in size and historic in scope. It will require a new brand of politics, a break from the days when progress was measured by the partisan points scored or the opponents defeated. No longer can we afford merely to tinker at the margins of the status quo or play the politics of pitting one group against another...
...What is needed now more than ever is a politics that binds us together, a politics that looks to the future, a politics that asks not what is in it for me, but always what is in it for us?
Many believe that Spitzer will fight for a same-sex marriage bill amongst his new initiatives. The inauguration will feature food from all over the state. NYC foods included will be knishes from Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery, cheesecake from Junior's, and pickles from Guss's.
And former Governor Pataki last day including being in the broadcast booth at the NY Jets game and getting 24/7 State Police protection - four $80,000/year troopers - for at least a few month. He also made some last-minute appointments.
Photograph of Governor Spitzer on a run this morning by Tim Roske/AP
Tagged
Albany
attorney general
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
blogs
children
eliot spitzer
food
government
governor
Governor Pataki
Governor Spitzer
health
health care
inauguration
jets
jobs
new york
News: NYC
ny jets
ny times
nyc
police
Politics
Robert W
schools
sex
spitzer
state police
taxes
the future
Tim Roske
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 11:37 a.m. ET
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .