If Gov. David A. Paterson was looking for scores of Democratic stalwarts to show up Sunday

at his West Seneca announcement that he is running for a full term, he was surely

disappointed.

But if the presence of about 200 ordinary citizens — many of them union supporters

— told him that at least some New Yorkers are behind his effort, then the event in

Christe's Restaurant on Union Road probably made his day.

And that's exactly the strategy the governor seemed to embrace, as he told the packed

gathering that he looks to continue an administration that would challenge the State

Legislature, fight "special interests" and make tough decisions that would prove unpopular but

necessary in a time of slow recovery from a historic recession.

"It's not about me; it's about the people of New York," he said. "And I will always put

the people first."

But Paterson's announcement is only the beginning of what could prove a tumultuous

gubernatorial election. With former Rep. Rick Lazio emerging as the presumptive Republican

candidate, just about all observers believe that State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo will

enter the Democratic race soon with enormous advantages in money and popularity.

Even the governor acknowledged that the paucity of elected and party officials at his

kickoff event Sunday underscores the uncertainty of the early stage of the race.

"I think people are waiting to see how things work out," he told reporters after his

speech.

Gov. Paterson's full remarks from Sunday's stop

Still, Paterson — accompanied by his wife, Michelle — appeared feisty and

combative as he railed against newspaper reports that portray him as detached from his job and

campaign, as well as the rumors that gripped Albany before the New York Times published the

critical article Friday. He portrayed them as part of a "special-interest culture of delay,

deny and destroy."

"There is one rumor I'm able to confirm," he said. "I am running for governor, and we will

win. They have not knocked us down yet, and they will not knock us down further."

Paterson sounded many of his familiar themes of recent months, centering around his early

recognition of a budget crisis upon succeeding to the governorship after Eliot L. Spitzer

resigned and steps he took to avoid the more drastic experiences of other states. New York may

be closing parks and delaying income tax refunds, he said, but it is not furloughing workers

or cutting back the school week.

Instead, he said, the state increased unemployment insurance compensation, allocated more

money for student loans, bolstered funding for food stamps by 30 percent and increased welfare

allocations.

"That's not rumor; that's fact," he said in yet another dig at the media and political

establishment that he acknowledged have contributed to his "rough few weeks."

"Go ahead and judge me by what I've done," he added. "I've done more in two years than most

governors have in two terms. But that's not enough for the politicians or the pundits."

Paterson seemed to take special aim at the Legislature, which he said has blocked many of

the efforts to overcome multibillion-dollar deficits. That could be why only one state

legislator — Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo — showed up at the

event.

He also adopted some of the combative tones of his recent political ads, which portray him

as never accepting the idea that his blindness should limit his achievements. He pointed out

that he kicked off his campaign Saturday at Hofstra University on Long Island, where he

graduated from law school, and that he is still being challenged by those who say he cannot

achieve his goals.

"Your governor doesn't quit just because the special interests don't want him running," he

said. "Your governor does not quit working for a spending cap, your governor doesn't quit

creating jobs, and your governor doesn't quit on the idea of lowering your property taxes by

diminishing spending."

Still, the absence of major Democratic figures such as Mayor Byron W. Brown, Rep. Brian

Higgins of Buffalo or Erie County Democratic Chairman Leonard R. Lenihan stood out even amid

the governor's feistiness. Only elected officials such as Peoples-Stokes, Erie County

Legislator Betty Jean Grant of Buffalo, Lackawanna Mayor Norman L. Polanski Jr. and West

Seneca Supervisor Wallace C. Piotrowski attended.

Lenihan said last week that he would not attend, then said Thursday that he would attend

but not endorse, then did not show Sunday.

"I guess I just decided we better leave it alone," Lenihan said when contacted after

Sunday's event. "We're not ready to endorse yet. It's early, and we've got time."

Even the venue, the banquet room of a West Seneca diner, seemed to underscore low

expectations. And few blacks were in the crowd for the state's first African-American

governor.

Campaign manager Richie Fife said few supporters were expected on a Sunday morning, so

organizers picked Christe's and then it "kind of grew." The normal endorsements for a sitting

governor will happen, he added.

"We'll be rolling out political leaders next week in a New York City event," Fife said.

"But this won't be decided by political leaders; it will be decided by people."

The governor told reporters after his speech that he does not relish the prospect of

delaying income tax refunds or closing 41 parks throughout the state.

"If anyone has a better idea and can find a way to save resources, then obviously we would

reconsider," he said. "But I don't see that happening."

Lazio issued a statement linking Paterson to Spitzer and Cuomo and promising that his

approach would prove the better way.

"Since David Paterson became governor, the state has lurched from fiscal crisis to fiscal

crisis," Lazio said. "We now face a massive structural budget deficit, skyrocketing taxes and

a people that have lost faith in their political leaders. Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson and

Andrew Cuomo are all part of this problem."

But the dozens of union members attending the event seemed to like what Paterson had to

say.

"I will tell you the Latino community will come out for him 100 percent," Cas Rodriguez Sr.

said after hearing Paterson's speech. "He's got a tough job, but he's focusing on people."

And Jack Stoehr, a member of the boilermakers union who was heartened by the governor's

support of "clean coal" technology, said that it's all about jobs such as those that would be

created by building such plants.

"Half this room," he said, "is made up of boilermakers who want "clean coal' technology in

New York State so we can keep workers here."