So yesterday the Empire State Development Corp. voted to approve Columbia's $6.28 billion expansion expansion into Manhattanville.

In doing so, the state designated the area as blighted, which is necessary in order to invoke eminent domain.

The decision came as a result of a blight study by AKRF Inc., which found that Manhattanville consisted of "aging, poorly maintained and functionally obsolete industrial buildings with little indication of recent reinvestment to revive their generally deteriorated condition."

Not even a fortnight since Eliot Spitzer's resignation, problems with New York's newest governor, David Paterson (CC '77), have already surfaced. The New York Daily News is reporting that Paterson had used campaign funds to purchase clothing, bar tabs, and hotel stays at a Quality Inn on the Upper West Side (at which to carry on extramarital affairs, naturally).

He also apparently gave one of his girlfriends $500 in July 2002, but his aides were later quoted as saying that he "misstated" that he had done that. Paterson explains that one of his girlfriends, Lila Kirton, had attended a campaign event, and therefore the $500 he used to reimburse her was a "professional" expense.

Paterson maintains that he paid back these expenses (well, most of them). However, this doesn't change the fact that politicians aren't allowed to use campaign money for non-campaign-related expenses.

If Paterson is forced to resign, next in line for the governorship is Eliot Spitzer-mortal-enemy Joseph Bruno, the New York State Senate Majority Leader.

Careful perusal of the Bulletin has revealed that New York's governor-in-waiting, David Paterson, is teaching a class here at his alma mater. Because he is employed part time by the state legislature, the class was not due to start until tomorrow. Bwog intuits that this has been canceled. Bad news for the SIPA students who had signed up to learn about Urban Planning & Charitable-Equitable Development! Sadly, only 17 people signed up for a course with a maximum enrollment of 40. Perhaps they couldn't figure out how a blind professor would respond to a raised hand. Commenters are encouraged to find the joke that must be lurking in that last sentence.