Don't do it

Gov. David A. Paterson is reportedly on the verge of hiring Richard M. Kessel to head the New York State Power Authority. The Times Albany Bureau confirmed information in a column by George J. Marlin that appeared Wednesday on the New York Post Web site.

That would be a disastrous decision for upstate New York. As former chairman and CEO of the Long Island Power Authority, Mr. Kessel "is a big reason Long Island power is so pricey," Mr. Marlin points out.

As LIPA chief, Mr. Kessel presided over escalating rate hikes that made Long Island less competitive for business and provided a major reason for the departure of manufacturing jobs. The authority failed to pay down billions of dollars in debt from the Shoreham nuclear plant, which eventually closed. As Mr. Marlin points out, the plant closed before it actually opened, but after billions of dollars had been spent on its construction.

Under Mr. Kessel's leadership, LIPA may have broken laws requiring competitive bidding for contracts exceeding $5,000 and it used customer money to finance political polling. By virtue of holding two jobs — CEO and chairman of LIPA — Mr. Kessel may have violated state law.

Former Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer wisely forced Mr. Kessel out of the LIPA post. Would Gov. Paterson now appoint him to one of upstate New York's most crucial positions?

We certainly hope not. Upstate, and specifically the north country and Western New York have depended on the inexpensive power generated by the St. Lawrence and Niagara rivers to sustain weak economies. Mr. Kessel sports a curious record of demanding low power costs, and at the same time attempting to force egregious restrictions on power generation facilities.

His view of New York is centered on Long Island where he has been a powerful factor in preventing the building of new generation facilities on the island. Instead he looks upstate for the power we generate, power which comes from the mighty rivers we have tamed and whose character has been forever changed.

Gov. Paterson made a solid appointment to the Power Authority last week, naming Eugene Nicandri to the board. Considering Richard Kessel is a major step backward and will deliver a message to Northern and Western New York that we will continue to be relegated to the backwaters of the state economy.