ALBANY – Gov. David Paterson and three aides billed New York taxpayers $19,350 for their four-night stay at an upscale Washington D.C. hotel for the presidential inauguration, despite the governor’s repeated warnings about the state’s fiscal troubles.

Paterson and three top aides stayed at the luxury AKA White House hotel two blocks from the White House during the inauguration, with the governor billing taxpayers an average of $1,280 a night, according to records of state-issued credit-card expenses.

In total, taxpayers were charged about $4,800 a night for the hotel stays of Paterson, chief of staff Charlotte Hitchcock, special assistant David Johnson and secretary William Cunningham, records obtained from the state Comptroller’s Office show. Paterson’s bill was $5,123 for the four nights.

The spending comes as Paterson warns daily about the state’s financial crisis and a looming $14 billion budget gap for the 2009-10 budget year, which starts April 1. He has called for major cuts to schools, health care and state services, while also seeking 137 new taxes and fees.

“You would think that they would have a little bit better judgment than that given the sacrifices they are asking New Yorkers to incur,” said Sen. George Winner, R-Elmira.

Paterson’s office defended the spending, saying hotels for the inauguration required a four-night minimum stay and prices were inflated because of the event.

The charges were billed in December in advance of the Jan. 20 inauguration. The governor’s office did not provide details on other expenses incurred on the trip.

“Governor Paterson, like many other governors from across the country, represented his state at a moment of national importance,” said spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein.

“Due to the overwhelming demand that greatly exceeded supply, hotel rates in Washington D.C. were unusually high and based on four-night minimums.”

A report by Smith Travel Research this week said visitors paid an average of $605 per night to stay in a Washington D.C. hotel on inauguration night.

Some groups were outraged over the hotel expenses, saying Paterson has been asking for sacred sacrifices from residents, but hasn’t done so himself. In November it was revealed that the state spent nearly $40,000 on rugs for the governor’s mansion.

“Once again it goes to show you whether it’s a $25,000, $30,000 rug for the executive mansion, salary increases for executive staff, or spending lavishly at the inauguration, the governor is not practicing what he preaches about austerity,” said Ron Deutsch, head of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness.

Blair Horner, legislative director at the New York Public Interest Research Group, questioned why the Democratic governor had to spend four nights at the inauguration in the midst of the state’s budget crisis.

“It’s the wrong signal,” Horner said. “The governor is arguing that everyone in the state is going to have to suffer because of the state’s fiscal crisis. And here is an example where the governor went four days to Washington for a one-day event and spent thousands of dollars in the process.”

(Source: LoHud.com)