No third chances
Educated at Princeton and Harvard Law School, Eliot Spitzer is obviously a smart man. But when it comes to politics, he is getting his education at the school of hard knocks, and learning the ropes on a very public stage. First there was "trooper-gate." That was followed by the driver's license fiasco. The new governor had a very rough first year.
A new year is barely under way and Mr. Spitzer has made another unfortunate misstep, declining to meet with environmental activists opposed to the proposed Broadwater liquefied natural gas plant and then agreeing to meet with the CEO of Shell Oil, a partner in Broadwater Energy.
What was he thinking?
Maybe the governor thought his closed-door meeting with the Shell executive would remain secret. But this is New York, after all, and he should know better.
Once somebody whispered word of the meeting to environmental advocate Adrienne Esposito, who's been leading the charge against Broadwater, she took the opportunity to complain that Mr. Spitzer, a self-proclaimed populist and advocate of "transparent" government, has time to meet with Big Energy but not "ordinary people" about an issue so big and so important to so many. And she's got 80,000 signatures on a petition against Broadwater to prove it.
Bad move, Mr. Spitzer.
Ms. Esposito took her complaint to the media and that got the governor's attention. She's now got an audience with the governor next week.
Mr. Spitzer has remained completely and conspicuously silent about Broadwater, a proposal that's drawn the opposition of almost every elected official in this state -- and in Connecticut. His silence has confounded -- and worried -- local officials and citizen and environmental groups alike.
The state has until Feb. 12 to issue its consistency ruling. If it deems Broadwater's plan consistent with New York's coastal zone management plan, there is probably precious little to be done to stop the construction of the mammoth natural gas facility off our shore. If the state finds the project would be inconsistent with its coastal zone management plan, odds are very good it will never get built.
Mr. Spitzer is in the hot seat. His political future may well depend on this decision -- to say nothing of the future of commercial fishing, recreational boating, Long Island's economy and one of its most precious natural resources: the Long Island Sound.
Smarten up, Mr. Spitzer. Politicians don't get too many second chances. You've already had yours.
