NY governor's press secretary quits amid ethics probes

By Joan Gralla

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The press secretary for New York Democratic Governor David Paterson resigned on Wednesday amid state and federal ethics probes of her boss that have triggered the departures of other top aides.

"Due to the circumstances that have led to my unwitting involvement in recent news stories, I can no longer do my job effectively," Marissa Shorenstein said in a statement announcing her resignation.

Echoing the reasons given by the governor's communications director when he resigned on March 4, Shorenstein continued:

"Throughout my career, I have performed my duties professionally and with integrity, basing my actions on what I believed to be true at the time."

Peter Kauffmann, the governor's former communications director, said his resignation was prompted by matters of "integrity and commitment to public service."

The governor's office confirmed that Shorenstein had resigned as press secretary and issued a statement naming Morgan Hook her replacement, "effective immediately," without mentioning Shorenstein by name. Hook has worked in the governor's press office since 2008.

ETHICS PROBES TAKE HEAVY TOLL

The governor is the subject of three probes by state and federal prosecutors; whether he and the state police tried to quash domestic violence charges against a top aide, whether he unlawfully accepted World Series baseball tickets and whether he gave a company a lucrative contact for slot machines at the Aqueduct Racetrack to help a political ally.

Paterson, who became governor in 2008 after Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned due to a prostitution scandal, has lost five top aides as a result of the investigations.

Last week, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and an expected Democratic candidate for governor, named the state's former top judge to oversee ethics investigations of Paterson to avoid "any possible appearance of political interest or conduct."

Paterson has repeatedly said he has done nothing wrong and denied speculation that he would resign, but the probes led him to drop his bid for the gubernatorial election in November.

Denise O'Donnell, the deputy secretary for public safety who oversaw the state police, resigned in late February, immediately after learning the governor and troopers had contacted the domestic violence victim.

The investigations also prompted the state police superintendent, Harry Corbitt, to retire; his successor, Pedro Perez, has also left his post.

(Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Jan Paschal)