David Paterson arranged the party. He found the location, he invited all the guests.

But now he can only stop by to give a speech.

Last year, in his inaugural year as a member of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA), Paterson was instrumental in securing Buffalo as the site for the group’s 2008 annual convention July 23-26.

But with his ascension as governor, Paterson is no longer a member of the group. And Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer), who now serves as acting lieutenant governor, does not seem to be interested in getting involved himself. His spokesperson Mark Hansen declined to say if Bruno plans to being involved in the NLGA during his stint as the state’s delegate to the group. And though Bruno is the official host of the Buffalo convention and has received an invitation, Hansen said the majority leader cannot attend due to a packed schedule of activities and meetings in his capital region district.

The NLGA holds two meetings annually: a winter meeting in Washington and a summer meeting in one of the states.

Julia Hurst, the NLGA executive director, said Paterson came to the group shortly after taking office in 2007 with a proposal to bring this summer’s convention to New York. Paterson informed Hurst and other NLGA officials that he wanted to showcase upstate New York to officials who may be only familiar with the city.

Paterson put forward plans for both Buffalo and Rochester, along with presentations from tourism officials in both cities.

The NLGA consists of the nation’s lieutenant governors, along with the first in line of succession for the states that do not have lieutenant governors. In those states, these officials are typically Senate presidents and secretaries of state.

Hurst said the association serves as a way to bring lieutenant governors together to discuss issues and plan for being the first in line of succession to the governorship. The association conducts research on the office of lieutenant governor and serves as a clearinghouse on best practices in various states.

The NLGA has several signature projects, including advocating for the end of cervical cancer, promoting asthma awareness and distributing gun safety locks. The main goal of the group is to provide succession prep services to its members, including a wallet card for lieutenant governors with a list of steps to take in the event they succeed to the governorship.

This card, developed by former Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts (D) while she was her state’s secretary of state, has nine steps for the lieutenant governors. These include contacting a staff member who has prepared a succession file, which includes a list of judges for a swearing in, securing the governor’s office and contacting the family of the former governor.

Whether Paterson consulted his card when Spitzer resigned is not known.

In any case, Hurst said, Paterson’s succession makes the Buffalo conference more appropriate.

“New York is the example of the essence that holds these officeholders together,” she said.

One of the main portions of the conference will include debate on various policy resolutions submitted by the lieutenant governors. This year’s resolutions have yet to be submitted, but in the past these have included supporting a cure for diabetes, climate protection, physical fitness and emergency radio frequencies.

Outside of the succession planning, members said the main feature of the association and the conference is networking between lieutenant governors and the opportunity to share best practices.

Vermont Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie (R) said he had hoped to discuss issues surrounding state relationships with Quebec and the 400th Anniversary of Lake Champlain with either Paterson or Bruno during the conference. He is also planning a road trip to see Albany and meet Bruno over the summer.

The conference’s tentative agenda includes a presentation by Buffalo native Tim Russert on government. Deloitte and Touche will make several presentations dealing with tourism policy and domestic violence awareness.

Neither these, nor an anticipated keynote address by Paterson, have been officially confirmed.

The group will also elect its officers for next year and discuss gubernatorial succession, highlighting Paterson’s succession in New York. The attendees will have the chance to take tours of Niagara Falls State Park and a wind farm in Lackawanna. A tour of the historic Darwin Martin House in Buffalo, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, has been arranged for the states’ second spouses.

The agenda was developed by Paterson’s office when he was still lieutenant governor. With Paterson’s elevation and Bruno’s taking over as the state’s delegate, the state level of planning is in a vacuum. Hurst said her office will take over more of the planning role. Paterson’s office did not return repeated calls for comment regarding what role, if any, the governor’s office will play in NLGA conference planning.

The conference is funded in part by registration fees covered by members, usually out of office budgets, and by corporate partners. These partners include General Motors, Pfizer and 1-800 Contacts.

Paterson volunteered for the group’s executive committee in March 2007 and took on convention duties shortly after, but joked about joining in comments he made at an October 2007 breakfast forum sponsored by  The Capitol while he was still lieutenant governor.

“Our Constitution—other than the lieutenant governor taking over when the governor leaves—doesn’t really define the lieutenant governor’s role. And I was surprised to find out that they have an actual lieutenant governors association. When they were meeting in March, I kind of declined,” Paterson said. “I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to go and sit with such a morbid group of people, sitting around talking about criminal convictions and plane collisions.”

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton (D), the association’s vice chairwoman, said she has heard the remarks and described it as part of Paterson’s trademark humor.

“People make jokes about lieutenant governors—that we are waiting for the governor to choke on a chicken bone,” she said, “but we engage in serious work.”