HIGHLAND HEIGHTS - As far as Northern Kentucky is concerned, Friday could have been one of Gov. Paul Patton's greatest days. Instead, it turned out to be his worst.

        Mr. Patton, 65, two-term Democrat from Pikeville, was scheduled to be on Northern Kentucky University's campus Friday to help dedicate the state-funded $38 million Natural Science Center he helped shepherd through the General Assembly.

        Instead, he was standing before the Capitol press corps in Frankfort, tearfully admitting to an affair with a woman suing him for sexual harassment.

        “It's unfortunate he can't be with us today,” said Covington Schools Superintendent Jack Moreland, who lobbied Mr. Patton for the science center when he was NKU's interim president in the late 1990s.

        Unlike other public officials at the ceremony - many of whom refused to comment when asked about the governor's situation - Mr. Moreland spoke candidly about how the sex scandal may impact the political ambitions of Mr. Patton.

        The chairman of the National Governors Association this year, Mr. Patton has been thought the odds-on favorite to run for the U.S. Senate in 2004 against Southgate Republican Sen. Jim Bunning.

        “I don't think we know what will happen in the future,” Mr. Moreland said.

        “I would rather see us judge somebody on the totality of what they've done while they've been in office. He's done so much good for the state that it's pretty hard to take away from those quality things he has done.”

        But Mr. Moreland acknowledged the affair would hurt Mr. Patton's political future.

        “You'd have to say it would damage anyone politically,” Mr. Moreland said.

        Mr. Patton admitted the affair Friday afternoon during a press conference televised live.

        Mr. Patton's closest Northern Kentucky political ally, House Majority Caucus Chairman Jim Callahan, said he had never seen the governor so “emotionally distraught.”

        “I feel what he did was wrong and I don't condone what happened in his private life,” Mr. Callahan said. “But he reached out to every Kentuckian who wants to listen, admitting he has sinned and asking for forgiveness.

        “What happened was a private matter between two consenting adults, but you've got to be very cautious because things like that can come back to haunt you,” he said.

        There was a bitter irony to the timing of Mr. Patton's admission and the dedication of the science center.

        In policy as well as politics, Mr. Patton has always billed himself as “the education governor.”

        He initiated the “Bucks for Brains” program to increase the quality of research at the state universities, campaigned under the “Kentucky: Where Education Pays” mantra and established a research lobbying arm in Washington for the state universities.

        Under his administration, the state's national ranking in education has risen above the bottom half of the 50 states for the first time in decades, one of his campaign promises come true.

        He would certainly use his support for education and for the biotechnology growth predicted to come from the NKU science center in his planned

        Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Bunning, whose Southgate home is just about a mile from NKU.

        Some in the crowd said privately they don't expect Mr. Patton to now make that race against Mr. Bunning. The governor has not commented on his future political plans. In his Friday statement at the Kentucky History Center, he said he hoped to regain the trust of the state's residents but knew it would be difficult.

        “Paul Patton's legacy will be education,” state Rep. Jon Draud, R-Crestview Hills, who, although a Republican, often supported Mr. Patton's education initiatives.

        “Education is such an important priority that I know (Mr. Patton) doesn't want anything to distract from education, and I think this could turn out to be a distracting factor.”

        NKU President James Votruba did not address Mr. Patton's absence as he spoke during the dedication ceremony Friday morning, but he did thank the governor for supporting the science center and pushing other education initiatives through the legislature.

        During an interview prior to the ceremony, Dr. Votruba said he “wishes the governor could be here.”

        “Gov. Patton was instrumental in making this day possible,” Dr. Votruba said. “We understand there are conflicts in his schedule - and we'll miss him.”

        Campbell County Democratic Chairman Terry Mann called the situation “unfortunate” but believes Mr. Patton can recover politically.

        “It's unfortunate that in politics people's private lives and issues better left between spouses get aired out publicly,” said Mr. Mann, a former state legislator from Fort Thomas. “And this is obviously one of them and it's too bad.

        “But I also think voters are capable of separating the personal from the political issues,” he said.

        “This is a personal issue and I don't think it has much in the way of political legs. People will look at what he has done as governor and let the private stuff be decided between him and his wife and family.”

        Rep. Paul Marcotte, a Union Republican who has also periodically supported Mr. Patton, said the affair has diminished the office of governor.

        “It diminishes the office; it diminishes the man,” Mr. Marcotte said. “A lot of people expected him to be here, but he's obviously preoccupied. I think he would have taken a lot of pride in being here today. He played a role in (the science center). It's sad.”

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