[nfb-talk] bronx dem lashes out at staten island pol

[John G. Heim]

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Cc: <acb-l at acb.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 2:59 PM


Bronx Dem lashes out at Staten Island pol over Paterson remarks



by Staten Island Advance

Tuesday August 25, 2009, 12:23 PM

City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell (D-Bronx) has demanded an apology from 
state Sen. Diane Savino.



The chair of a City Council committee on disability services expressed 
outrage today over

remarks state Sen. Diane Savino made last week

about Gov. David Paterson's blindness impairing his ability to govern.



Councilman G. Oliver Koppell (D-Bronx), called on Ms. Savino (D-North 
Shore/Brooklyn) to issue a retraction and apology for her remarks.



"It is unfair and inappropriate to imply that the Governor is limited in his 
ability to serve, because of his visual impairment as Senator Savino has 
done,"

Koppell said in a press release today.



"We have and have had outstanding lawyers, judges, executives, teachers and 
performers who are blind or have low vision. Blindness and low vision are 
not

disabilities that disqualify anyone from doing the work of an executive or a 
politician."



Koppell is the chair of the Council's Committee on Mental Health, Mental 
Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services.



Last week, Ms. Savino offered the following candid assessment of Paterson:



"We live in a digital age now, with e-mailing and Blackberrying. He is not 
able to do that because of his visual impairment. David cannot do those 
things.

Also, he does not read Braille. He has people reading newspapers to him. He 
listens to tapes of staffers briefing him. All that takes an enormous amount

of time. As a result, he is not able to respond on the fly the way [former 
Gov. Eliot] Spitzer or even [former Gov. George] Pataki could. In some ways

I think that has hindered him, in spite of everything he has accomplished in 
life."



http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/bronx_dem_lashes_out_at_staten.html