Paterson seeks to show he's still in charge

NEW YORK (AP) — Gov. David Paterson was adamantly in the business of governing Monday, taking questions from the public at a town hall meeting and trying to make clear his authority to negotiate a state budget amid two scandals that threaten his job.

"Recently, I've been the target of rumors and innuendo, but it hasn't stopped me," he said in his opening remarks, one of the few references to the situation swirling around him.

In their questions, audience members at the session in Brooklyn were clearly more focused on their own concerns rather than the governor's, who is being probed over whether he illegally had contact with a woman who had accused a Paterson aide of abuse. He is also facing an ethics charge for obtaining free World Series tickets.

Few questioners mentioned the scandals, with one offering support for Paterson finishing his term before going on to ask a question on another topic.

The reaction matched findings in a poll from Siena College released Monday. Although Paterson has slipped to his lowest approval rating yet, at 21 percent, 71 percent of voters questioned want him to finish in term. Twenty-one percent want the Legislature to impeach him if he doesn't resign, although Paterson hasn't been charged with a crime.

Paterson has already given up his bid for a full term but refused to give in to critics who want him to resign altogether. He became governor in 2008 after his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, resigned in a prostitution scandal.