Buffalo&#8217s Carl P. Paladino, reeling from outrage over pornographic and racially

degrading e-mails tied to him, is attempting to regain the political offensive with one

phrase: &#8220I am not politically correct.&#8221

That&#8217s the concept weaving through Paladino&#8217s public comments this week following

his retreat into damage-control mode after a local Web site posted offensive e-mails he had

forwarded.

&#8220The liberal elite are hysterical; they are panicking because they know we&#8217re

coming,&#8221 Paladino said on his Wednesday blog. &#8220If they want me to back down, they

will be disappointed.&#8221

&#8220I&#8217m not proud of everything I&#8217ve done in my life &#8212 who is?&#8221 he

continued. &#8220But I sure as hell don&#8217t run from anything I&#8217ve done in my life.

I&#8217m not a racist. I&#8217m not a sexist.&#8221

Nevertheless, Paladino, a Republican candidate for governor, remains besieged over e-mails

published Monday by WNYMedia.net, including depictions of President Obama and the first lady

dressed like a pimp and prostitute and of a woman engaging in bestiality. Another used a

degrading term for blacks.

Among other developments:

The Paterson administration is examining whether it can scuttle state leases held by

Paladino following revelation of the e-mails. Wednesday, the commissioner of the Office of

General Services called on Paladino to &#8220voluntarily&#8221 withdraw from a pending lease

for Workers&#8217 Compensation Board offices in the Paladino-owned Ellicott Square in downtown

Buffalo.

Albany-area Republicans rescinded an invitation for Paladino to address a meeting of

county chairmen slated for Friday in Colonie.

Western New York Republicans, however, say they still want Paladino to address their

regional meeting Saturday along with other statewide candidates.

National &#8220tea party&#8221 types worked hard to distance themselves from Paladino

after he appeared Monday at their Buffalo waterfront rally.

Chief of Detectives Dennis J. Richards said Buffalo police have no reason to doubt

the veracity of a bomb threat called into Ellicott Square on Tuesday.

More trouble developed for Paladino Wednesday when a state official told The Buffalo News

that the state will review the approximately $85 million worth of leases that Paladino holds

with state agencies.

&#8220We&#8217re looking at the contracts to see if there is anything in there, like a

morality clause,&#8221 the official told The News on condition of anonymity.

The government source said the Paladino contracts &#8220were awarded properly.&#8221

&#8220He was the lowest bidder. That&#8217s not what we&#8217re looking at,&#8221 the

official said. &#8220This is being taken very seriously. Those e-mails were

reprehensible.&#8221

General Services Commissioner John Egan also called on Paladino to &#8220voluntarily&#8221

withdraw from a pending lease with the Workers&#8217 Compensation Board in Ellicott Square.

&#8220I am very disturbed about recent reports of e-mails sent or forwarded by you that

contain racist and sexist depictions and remarks,&#8221 Egan wrote to Paladino in a letter

obtained by The News. &#8220As a landlord doing business with the State of New York, I expect

you to conduct yourself in a professional manner.&#8221

&#8220The lack of respect these e-mails show for the rights of minorities and women is of

great concern to me both as commissioner and as a citizen of this state,&#8221 he added.

Heather Groll, a General Services spokeswoman, said Paladino&#8217s company was selected

&#8212 for having the lowest bid and &#8220best value&#8221 &#8212 to provide 23,000 square

feet on Ellicott Square&#8217s fourth floor for the Workers&#8217 Compensation Board, which

has a lease until May 31 at the Cyclorama Building. She declined to provide financial

information on the Ellicott Square lease, saying it has not yet been finalized.

Groll said the agency is awaiting a response from Paladino to &#8220determine our next

steps.&#8221

But Paladino has no intention of voiding his lease deal and threatened litigation if the

state does not back down.

&#8220We believe Commissioner Egan is a good man, but we believe he&#8217s getting pressure

from the political hacks who were put in by the Paterson administration, the same hacks who

were attacking Carl&#8217s lease ever since Paterson took office,&#8221 Paladino campaign

manager Michael R. Caputo said.

He said the state should prepare for litigation &#8220if they intend to use political

speech and innuendo to affect legal negotiations and a contract that has already been

awarded.&#8221

Paladino also was fighting back through several entries on his official blog, all

portraying him as a straight-talking idealist unencumbered by the bounds of political

correctness.

Supporters also weighed in on his Paladinoforthepeople.com blog. One writer, Howard

Goldman, used Paladino&#8217s &#8220mad as hell&#8221 slogan to emphasize that Paladino is not

politically correct.

&#8220Carl Paladino understands that the best way to destroy false political correctness is

to refuse to participate in its legitimization,&#8221 Goldman wrote. &#8220Simply refuse to

give it any power. That is how it will be destroyed. Look it in the eye and don&#8217t flinch

&#8212 two things that are easy to do when you are mad as hell.&#8221

Campaign volunteer Jennifer Silvestri painted Paladino as a plain-speaking politician.

&#8220Above all, it is important for everyone to know Carl is not politically

correct,&#8221 she wrote. &#8220Sometimes what he says will rankle, offend or even enrage. We

haven&#8217t gotten that kind of straight talk from New York politicians in our lifetime, so

be ready for a campaign like none you&#8217ve seen before.&#8221

Will the strategy work?

Canisius College political scientist Michael V. Haselswerdt has his doubts.

&#8220He&#8217s got support here, and people look at him differently here,&#8221

Haselswerdt said. &#8220But the real question is, &#8216Can he reach out and develop a network

throughout New York?&#8217&#8221

He noted that early in the campaign Paladino defused controversy about a child born as a

result of his relationship with a former employee by getting out in front of the issue. But

his campaign did not address the question of the e-mails in advance.

&#8220If they knew this stuff was out there and they didn&#8217t address it, we now see the

result,&#8221 Haselswerdt said. &#8220He&#8217s got money, but nobody wants to be associated

with him. That&#8217s his trouble.&#8221

Capital District Republicans say they will not even listen to Paladino at Friday&#8217s

regional meeting for statewide GOP candidates. &#8220Given the circumstances, there is no

chance Mr. Paladino will be receiving our endorsement, and it would therefore be a waste of

time to have him participate in the meeting,&#8221 Albany County Republican Chairman John A.

Graziano said.

That prompted Caputo to claim Paladino never intended to attend because he was never

invited and because Graziano is committed to Democrat-turned-Republican gubernatorial

candidate Steve Levy, the Suffolk County executive, who is backed by state GOP Chairman Edward

F. Cox.

Still, top Republicans from the state&#8217s eight Western New York counties are slated to

interview statewide candidates Saturday at the Holiday Inn on Genesee Street in Cheektowaga,

and Paladino is invited and expected to attend.

&#8220He&#8217s still a candidate and deserves to be heard by all Western New York chairmen

and state committee people,&#8221 said Orleans County Republican Chairman Edward Morgan, who

is regional chairman for the state committee.

Also expected to attend are U.S. Senate candidates Bruce Blakeman, David Malpass and Joseph

DioGuardi; lieutenant governor candidate Myers Merman; and state comptroller candidates Harry

Wilson and Robert Antonacci.