Gov. Pataki and Mayor Giuliani held a top-secret, 90-minute meeting yesterday – the first time they’ve spoken in person since their bitter battle over schools and budget dollars began two months ago.
They got together at Pataki’s Manhattan office in Midtown for a “productive and professional” meeting, Pataki said.
“There was no anger,” he said when asked if Giuliani indicated he was upset about the governor’s probe into the Board of Education.
“And we’re gonna work together. I’m gonna do what I can to be of assistance to the city, as I have in the past,” he said. “I’ve said all along that our relationship is a good relationship.”
Pataki said the meeting won’t affect the panel investigating the Board of Ed and the School Construction Authority.
None of his or Giuliani’s aides would provide details of what went on behind closed doors.
But one state government source, who asked to remain unidentified, said all topics were covered – including politics and the 2,000 Senate race, which Giuliani is considering.
The source also said the meeting warmed relations between the men, which went nuclear after the governor announced a probe of the Board of Ed and the SCA last January.
Since then, the two have debated the state budget, which Giuliani says shortchanges city schools, and the expansion of the Holocaust Museum in Battery Park City.
Their feud continued through fund-raising trips both made around the state and the country, as Pataki eyes a possible run for the White House and the Giuliani-Senate rumors continue to fly.
State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who’s become increasingly close to Giuliani in recent months and supports him as a potential U.S. Senate candidate, was also present, another source said.
The get-together came after weeks of phone calls between the two men’s aides and lots of behind-the-scenes work by state leaders, including Bruno and state GOP Chairman William Powers.