Paul Francis

Paul Francis, the director of State Operations for Governors Paterson and Spitzer, has resigned, the governor’s office announced today. In the Paterson administration, Mr. Francis provided oversight to many key development projects in the state, trying to sort out the mess at Moynihan Station, among others.

Former colleagues generally held him in high regard as a policy-focused good-government type, though he was said to clash with others close to the governor.

Toward the end of this legislative session, he was a key figure in negotiating the state’s incentive package in a casino resort planned for the Catskills.

Last week, before a deal was eventually reached, we asked Senator John Bonacic, who represents the area, what the holdup was to a three-way deal between the Assembly, Senate and governor’s office.  read more »

I just got off the phone a few minutes ago with Paul Francis, Eliot Spitzer’s top aide and newly minted director of operations. Francis said he doubts the capital budget from last year will be settled by the time the governor presents his executive budget on January 22 next year.

“I would say at this stage it’s highly unlikely that there will be a capital budget before the executive budget is introduced," Francis told me.

Francis, who helped craft Spitzer’s first budget last year, said this budget will be tougher, and that having an on-time budget is a secondary consideration.

“It’s probably fair to say the more difficult the budget, the harder it is to have an on-time budget. I think this will be a more difficult budget than last year because of the decline in revenues due to Wall Street problems." He added, "The governor said on a number of occasions, he thinks having a good budget is more important than having an on-time budget.”

Some of Eliot Spitzer's budget decisions are not going down so well in Westchester.

Here's part of a dramatically worded letter sent today by Democratic Assembly members from Westchester to Paul Francis, the governor's budget director, about the new school funding formula:

"We racked our brains to find a single example of the use of the education formula to harm an individual municipality. We often find ways to single out a community for help. Never before, never before has a community been singled out for harm. It is a terrible precedent that once unleashed, can be turned against a community that has fallen from political favor, or which is sacrificed on the alter of expediency, even if that expediency is a timely budget, as you suggest in your letter."

The entire letter is here.

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer is giving his budget presentation to reporters, with budget director Paul Francis and the budget staff on hand.

One line that caught my attention so far is how Spitzer described funding that some health care institutions received so far. He described is as a "pipeline, almost an unending pipeline of state largess."

-- Azi Paybarah

Alan Hevesi responds to his settlement with the AG's office by saying that most of the chauffering for his wife was "related to her security."

Here is a calendar of state employees who chauffeured Hevesi's wife, and how the AG's office came up with their calculations.

Eliot Spitzer's adviser, Paul Francis, said that health care is one of the greatest challenges facing the new governor.

Siberia may not open tomorrow.

Mitt Romney, John Edwards and Tom Vilsack all made hires for their presumed presidential campaigns.

A documentary about the role of bloggers in Ned Lamont's race will air on Dec. 28.

Andrew Sullivan is less annoying than Kos, according to a new poll.

Mike Bloomberg looks ahead to 2030.

And pictured above is the room at Gracie Mansion where the mayor hosted his party for City Hall reporters last night.

-- Azi Paybarah

At 8 a.m., the Campaign for Fiscal Equity has a breakfast forum at the Yale Club.

Starting at 8:20 a.m., former governors Bill Weld and Jim Florio join incoming state budget director Paul Francis at a panel discussion on "Governing Change: Policy, Politics and the Spitzer Administration" at The New School.

At 9 a.m., the Board of Directors for the NYC Industrial Development Agency will meet at 110 William Street.

At 10 a.m., the Governance and Audit Committee of the NYC Center Operating Corporation will meet at the Javits Center.

At 11 a.m., Assemblyman Mike Gianaris calls for the creation of the Innocence Commission, with members of the Innocence Project, in his Astoria office.

At noon, there's a protest outside the Iranian mission to the U.N.

The City Council's Civil Service and the Housing Committees will hold meetings.

And the holiday parties of DL21C, Queens DA Richard Brown, and The New York County Lawyers' Association will be taking place.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's Eliot Spitzer's newly announced transition team:

Rich Baum, executive director Paul Francis, policy director Francine James, appointment director

Chairs

Richard Parsons Peter Goldmark, Jr Elizabeth Moore Lloyd Constantine Hunter Rawlings Rosanna Rosado

They're accepting resumes here.

-- Azi Paybarah

More interesting than anything Tom Suozzi said at a Crain's breakfast this morning, I'm told, were a couple of the faces in the audience.

First, there was Mario Cuomo, who doesn't often show up at this sort of thing.

Also at the table of former Cuomo aide and lobbyist Tonio Burgos was Eliot's policy guy, Paul Francis. Scribbling busily, a source notes. So much for ignoring the guy.