Thomas P. DiNapoli's resignation from his 20-year position as Assemblyman for the 16th Assembly District took place without fanfare on Wed. Feb. 7. Later in the day, he was sworn in as the 54th person to hold the position of comptroller for the State of New York. Although a firestorm raged in the background with a spitting mad governor railing at feeling double-crossed by Speaker Sheldon Silver of the Assembly and an equally defiant state legislature having, according to the state's constitution, the last word on the matter, the promotion from assemblyman to comptroller rolled through and over the controversy.

In a statement issued from his new office in Albany Comptroller DiNapoli said, "As state comptroller, I look forward to working on issues of importance to my long-time constituents in Nassau County and all New Yorkers. In my new role, I will be a vigilant watchdog and will protect the taxpayers, promote efficiencies in state and local governments, and invest our resources wisely. I will also work hard to reform government, and to restore the integrity and reputation of the Comptroller's office."

It is true that the state constitution calls for the New York State Legislature to vote in a successor to a vacant elected post such as the one recently left by Alan Hevesi who resigned under a cloud of scandal. But according to Steve Markowitz, president of the Great Neck Democratic Club, there was a window of opportunity for Governor Eliot Spitzer to make his own appointment, a three-day hiatus after he was sworn in, but before the legislature was in session. Instead, according to Mr. Markowitz, he made a "deal" with Silver to have an independent panel composed of former comptrollers to vet the candidates and make recommendations to the legislature. Their short list of recommendations did not include Assemblyman DiNapoli.

In a vote of 151-54, the joint chamber of the legislature voted instead to make the former assemblyman, comptroller.

According to the comptroller's website, one of the first responsibilities facing Comptroller DiNapoli will be to appoint a deputy comptroller who heads the Division of Pension Investment and Cash Management. The division is composed of five bureaus, which are Equity and Fixed Income Investments, Real Estate Investments, Alternative Investments, Cash Management and Corporate Governance. Each operational unit maintains policies and procedures for the function they administer.

On Feb. 8, Office of the Comptroller's deputy press secretary, Dan Weiller, told Anton Newspapers that DiNapoli was already on the job, getting oriented and meeting key staff members of the vast agency of 2,400 people.

The agency performs myriad fiscal functions in state and local government. The office is in charge of investing the assets garnered from the state and local government employees and police and fire retirement systems, valued at $140 billion as of March of 2006.

The office performs audits of state bureaucracies as well as local audits as needed such as the one conducted of the Roslyn School System that uncovered mind-boggling fraud.

Staff from the office conducts in depth reviews of the New York State budgets as well as the New York City budgets. They are required to review state contracts over $50,000. In addition, the office oversees the twice-monthly employee payroll distributions.

A perhaps lesser-known aspect of the office pertains to its administration of the Environmental Protection and Spill Compensation Fund, better known as the Oil Spill Fund. This fund pays for the remediation of petroleum spills with its source of revenue being a license fee charged on each barrel of petroleum sold in the state.

The office also serves as the custodian for billions of dollars in unclaimed funds from inactive accounts from banks, insurance companies, utilities and investment companies. The website, www.osc.state.ny.us/ouf/index.htm has a search engine where you may enter your name and city to determine if there is money awaiting your claim.

Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman, a Great Neck resident, was one of the top contenders for the post. He was one of three who passed the hurdle of the professional panel that vetted the candidates for the job and was endorsed by The New York Times. His office released a statement: "I offer my congratulations and best wishes to my friend Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli on his selection as New York State Comptroller. Tom is an exemplary public official who has always been a devoted and energetic voice for his constituents. I look forward to working with him closely on many issues of importance to our county and state. I also want to congratulate the other outstanding individuals who put themselves forward for this important position. Each had impressive credentials, and their conduct during this process reflected well on them ... Although I was deeply honored to have been among the finalists named by the independent panel, I love my job as Nassau County comptroller and look forward to continuing our efforts to maintain the county's fiscal health and protect the interests of our taxpayers."

Meanwhile, back in the 16th District, as the dust settled, the reaction of the constituents has been mixed. While as an assemblyman, Tom DiNapoli, enjoyed a staunchly supportive electorate, a wide-based popularity and respect, especially for his expertise in educational and environmental matters, some questioned his qualifications for the comptroller position and whether he could exert the independence needed to stand up to the governor, the speaker and the majority leader in his former stomping ground, the legislature.

Prior to the vote, in a letter sent to his colleagues in the Assembly, DiNapoli lobbied them and referred to the matter of independence by writing, "Finally, while the state comptroller's independence must be beyond question --- and mine will be --- I want to assure you that I look forward to working with my partners in government. Though the 'watchdog' role is central to this position, I will also work vigorously with the governor to implement his vision for reforming state government. Similarly, working with the members of the Legislature - both houses, both parties - is crucial to gaining the successes we would all like to see achieved."

It was well known that DiNapoli longed for a new challenge, having run an unsuccessful primary for the Nassau County Executive slot and having been by-passed for lieutenant governor. Plenty of people are "happy for Tom" and pleased that his career has leapfrogged ahead. Others are simply aghast that the 16th District has "gotten a double whammy" losing both Balboni and DiNapoli, two seasoned, well-regarded representatives, who were adroit at bringing in special funding to the district and carrying the ball on important bills, in a space of a few weeks. One said, "We have been raided."

While Craig Johnson, who was voted in to fill Mike Balboni's state senate seat, and whomever fills the assembly slot may be talented, energetic and smart, there is no denying that each will be a freshman representative with less clout and smaller budgets for staffing than their predecessors.

Anton Newspapers requested information about the budget for the 16th District Assembly office and the request was referred to Speaker Silver's office as they did not have a copy of their budget. Obtained was a six-month budget from the public information staff of the Speaker's office. The six-month total during the period of April 2006 to Sept. 2006 for the representative's salary, staff, office rental, operating expenses and travel expenses came to just over $300,000. Keep in mind that there are two offices, one in Albany and one in the home district, in this case, in Great Neck.

The budget we reviewed did not include the funding for the

Legislative Commission on Water Resource Needs of Long Island, which has been a valuable asset to clean water advocacy groups and water companies and was an adjunct to the assembly local office. Resources do follow seniority and chairmanship of committees.

However, Assembly spokesman from the speaker's office Bryan Franke said, "Whether it's drafting bills, providing constituent services or participating in the budget process, the new member will have what he or she needs to serve the district's constituents and address the concerns of the communities they represent."

May Newburger, former assemblywoman and Town of North Hempstead Supervisor stated, "Tom really wanted this position and he wouldn't have if he felt he wasn't qualified. He will be exploring creative roles for the position and I am sure that he will do an extraordinary job."

The Democrats who have barely finished congratulating themselves for winning the state senate seat in a blitz of calls, mailings and television ads are preparing for another special election on March 27 to fill the assembly seat and the county legislature seat vacated by Johnson.

With many uncertainties swirling around the new political landscape, one thing is for sure, musical chairs is the new game in town. Whether the music will be rap, rock 'n roll or classical is yet to be determined.