Gov. David Paterson is sending a disturbing message about his interest in the unique challenges facing the upstate New York economy with his revelation last week that he intends to get rid of a new structure for the state's economy development agency.

Paterson now plans to abolish the system created by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer for Empire State Development Corp. that established two leaders for the agency, one for upstate and one for downstate. It was an important step for a state that too long had focused its energy on New York City issues.

But Paterson said the new approach was sending the wrong message about New York. “We are one New York,” he told the Buffalo News.

He also said he concluded that the two-headed approach simply wasn't working.

It's difficult to accept both of those arguments.

Sure, it sounds good to state that we are one New York. But the reality, especially when it comes to economic development, is that upstate and downstate are two radically different places. Businesses looking to set up in a place like the New York City metro area don't have the same needs as those considering the open spaces of upstate communities.

And it's premature for the governor to state that the new approach is not working. He did not provide any concrete evidence for forming that opinion, in large part because there hasn't been enough time to see how effective it has been.

What is for certain is that the old system, in which ESD was headquartered in New York City and run by a downstate executive, was failing miserably for upstate.

For all his failings, Spitzer brought some innovative ideas to the executive branch, and this was one of them. It's time for upstate legislators on both sides of the aisle to demand the governor not take this backward step.