By Kenneth Lovett and Michael Saul, New York Daily News
Gov. Paterson – his administration in disarray – said Thursday he may rehire top aide Charles O’Byrne, who resigned amid an embarrassing tax scandal last year.
“Charles O’Byrne made a mistake. … He paid for it and underwent some pretty severe public criticism,” said Paterson, referring to revelations that O’Byrne didn’t file taxes for five years.
The governor said he hasn’t talked with O’Byrne about the possibility of his rejoining the administration but called the prospect “fascinating.”
“It’s certainly a conversation that I would have,” Paterson said. “People make mistakes, you know, but they deserve a second chance after they’ve paid for what they’ve done.”
O’Byrne attributed his failure to pay taxes to depression; his lawyer called it “nonfiler syndrome.”
Paterson stressed that the problem with O’Byrne was never incompetence. “No one doubted that he wasn’t doing an excellent job,” he said.
The governor’s administration has been buffeted in recent months by turmoil, most notably his messy handling of the appointment of Hillary Clinton’s successor in the Senate. This week, Paterson’s job approval plummeted to 45%, marking its lowest point in his nearly one year in office.
Paterson conceded some of the recent criticism has been “fair.”
Still, he said, “what’s most important in a leader is that you recognize that you are as human and as imperfect as even the press that covers you.”
A source with knowledge of the situation said the O’Byrne comeback is a real possibility.
“They’re a great team and would love to work together again,” the source said. “It’s an idea that’s very interesting to both of them. They want to be sure it would make sense. They need to talk about it.”
A spokeswoman insisted discussion of the prospect is “premature.”
Veteran Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said, “Getting Charles back would be a dramatic move that would get people to pay attention to the governor in a new way.”
