The manager of a New Jersey steakhouse, who was there while Gov. David Paterson dined with a young woman, said a news report of their lunchtime kissing and nuzzling was untrue.
“At no time was there anything going on other than the typical business lunch,” said David Feeback, manager of the River Palm Terrace in Edgewater. “There was no canoodling, no nudging, no nothing.”
Paterson met the woman Saturday. They sat next to one another in a curved booth and drank only water, said Feeback. Two women sitting nearby told the New York Post the governor kissed the woman’s neck. Feeback said he saw no such thing.
“I could hear them talking about elections and contributions,” Feeback said. “If you’ve ever met the governor, he gets close to you to speak. I guess it helps him see who he’s talking to.”
Marissa Shorenstein, a spokeswoman for Paterson, said the woman is a friend who helps with fundraising. “The governor was having lunch with a friend in public,” Shorenstein said. “Anything other than that is an outright and complete lie.”
The women who described Paterson’s canoodling did not return calls for comment.
