Nathaniel Brooksfor The New York Times Marissa Shorenstein at the State Capitol in August 2008.
Marissa Shorenstein, Gov. David A. Paterson’s press secretary and acting chief spokeswoman, resigned on Wednesday. She becomes the fifth top state official to resign in the wake of a scandal over the Paterson administration’s handling of a domestic violence incident.
“It has been a privilege to serve New York State for the past two years, and I thank the governor for giving me the opportunity to do so,” Ms. Shorenstein said in a statement.
The governor appointed Morgan Hook, who had been his upstate press secretary, to be his new director of communications shortly after Ms. Shorenstein resigned. Mr. Hook is a former television news reporter and anchor, most recently in the Albany area. At the beginning of the month, he was the third-ranking official in the governor’s communications shop, and now he gets the top job after the resignations of the former communications director, Peter E. Kauffmann, and Ms. Shorenstein.
The resignations have come in the wake of a report in The New York Times that the Paterson administration and the State Police intervened in a domestic violence case involving a top aide, David W. Johnson. At least three state officials, including the governor and the head of his State Police security detail, reached out to the victim of the alleged episode, Sherr-una Booker, though it is not clear if they influenced her ultimate decision to drop pursuit of her case.
After the case was dropped, the governor instructed Ms. Shorenstein to ask Ms. Booker to publicly describe the episode as nonviolent, a description that contradicted Ms. Booker’s accounts to the police and in court — Ms. Shorenstein is said to have been unaware at the time of Ms. Booker’s account.
“Due to the circumstances that have led to my unwitting involvement in recent news stories, I can no longer do my job effectively,” Ms. Shorenstein said in her statement. “Throughout my career, I have performed my duties professionally and with integrity, basing my actions on what I believed to be true at the time. I therefore tender my resignation as press Secretary to the governor.”
From 1 to 25 of 34 Comments
good for you, Marissa.
— dan marburyI think Mr. Hook should think twice about taking this job. Does he really want to be sullied by having to be the public voice of this administration at this point?
— Brett on LIWho want’s a job from a boss who is going to be outed while everyone else is jumping ship. You’re better off leaving early than getting stuck holding the buck.
— andrewGovernment employees, and political appointees in particular, don’t abandon a governor like this unless they believe the governor’s conduct was particularly eggregious or they feel manipulated and publicly embarrassed by the lies they told at Paterson’s behest. In either case, it seems that the people closest to Paterson and who know him best are jumping ship at an incredible rate.
— JoanGIf she indeed did have anything to do with intimidating the victim, then it’s good riddance — she brings a terrible shadow to the PR profession. See my blog post on this matter, http://bit.ly/cZOaQ0
— praecere dot comGood job! We need more people of substance to resign when they are forced to do the wrong thing.
— andyOh no! What will the people of the state of New York do without Marissa Shorenstein in Albany?
Actually, it’s just another six-figure state salary we don’t have to pay for the time being. I hope Paterson stays in office just so more of these people resign. Maybe Paterson can turn the lights off when he leaves.
— SpudBetter late than never.
Ms. SHorenstein’s “integrity” was compromised the moment she allowed herself to be “instructed” to ask Ms. Booker to describe the incident with Johnson in any way whatsoever.
Let the clean-out continue.
— east sideFirst Kauffmann and now Shorenstein. Apparently, even the Governor’s “mouths” don’t want to speak for him anymore.
It’s like a palace revolt – all the puppets are cutting their own strings.
— GeorgeI think it’s clear that anyone who wants a job in Albany, or wants the support of the democratic party, or wants to be taken seriously, will distance themselves from the guv. I knew the man wasn’t gifted, and that he was a hanger-on, but I thought he might have some pride. He doesn’t.
— william marcyif you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, oh wait, that’s nyc.
— chris hauserThe Governor’s losing his staff,
— Larry EisenbergThe Wheat & a bit of the chaff,
This resigning run
May leave him with none,
It pains me on David’s behalf.
She never managed to act on those instructions from the governor. She’s no fool.
— margeMarissa’s deep pockets mommy -daddy probably agreed to bribe Cuomo like they did Spitzer so their Harvard educated offspring can get hired in the next corrupt NYS administration.
— porkyinteresting attire for a “top state official”–on her salary, you’d think she could afford more clothing!
— jbThe articles read that she was instructed by the governor. Did she follow his instructions and actually talk with Ms. Booker and request for her to describe the episode as nonviolent.
— Nancyin the workplace, i find a lack of clothing is usually followed by a lack of good judgment.
— rnWill the Shorenstein family receive a refund of the unused portion of their Paterson campaign contribution?
— Rev. E.M. Camarena, PhDhttp://emcphd.wordpress.com/
The real story, if there were any journalist who could ferret it out, is not all the rats deserting the sinking ship.
It is: WHAT, exactly, does Johnson have on Paterson that made him intimidate a victim of a crime and embroil his staff in that effort?
— SKVWho chose that photograph to publish with this article? Surely she didn’t ordinarily dress for the office like that!
— Sarah D.New Yorkers are so lucky to have newspapers with investigative reporters.
— Kay Sieverding“reached out” implies the governor and his aides were trying to help the alleged victim. the could have subtly, or not so subtly, been trying to intimidate her into dropping her case, which she then did—this is what’s now being investigated. How about a neutral “contacted”.
— bruceThe first time I saw this type of dress was in a State Attorney’s office in South Florida. I was shocked to say the least. that this type of dress was allowed in the workplace. After viewing this photo with the beautiful woman in it, I have one thing to say, I don’t think “cleavage” belongs in the workplace. It creates a “conflict of interest.” In this case, if she works for a man, he could have a fall from grace, just because there is too much in the “viewing field.” It would be very difficult for a man to concentrate on the matter at hand when too much flesh is showing on the female. Men happen to be “visual” by nature. It not only interferes with the work process, but can tend to “creep” into other areas as well. More appropriate dress is necessary to keep one’s mind on business and not pleasure. Unfortunately, in today’s society there seems to be no boundaries anymore and the clothing industry has not helped matters by offering less material to wear, especially where we need it the most, to dress respectfully and win the respect of others.
— Janylee McGlinchyGreat… hand her a shovel and a pail.
— Paul OppenheimerI left upstate NY in 1964 at he age of 18. Never regretted it. The residents are duped every single day and they lack the courage to demand honesty. Maybe they have truly representative government after all.
— Mike