Politics on the Hudson

ALBANY _ Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer on Thursday pledged to change the way government does business by banning many government workers from receiving gifts, having an open-door policy with lawmakers, restricting campaign contributions he and his lieutenant governor can accept and making other changes.

“We are not going to play by the same old rules because they’re corrosive and the public rightly has said, ‘We want to see something fundamentally different,� Spitzer said at a news conference in his temporary offices with Lieutenant Gov.-elect David Patterson, a state senator whose term ends Dec. 31.

Spitzer, a Democrat, won the November election overwhelmingly and said he has a mandate to change. He is attorney general until the end of the year. He will replace Republican Gov. George Pataki, who has led the state for 12 years.

Other changes Spitzer said he will make upon assuming office in January include:

—Barring himself and Paterson from appearing in any taxpayer-financed commercials, such as “I Love NY� ads.
—Prohibiting any hiring or contracting official from inquiring about the political affiliation of a prospective employee or contractor.
—Bringing both houses of the Legislature into the budget-making process as early as possible and sharing with them as much information as possible about expected revenues and plans for spending.
—Webcasting meetings of major public boards and authorities, such as the State University of New York board of trustees.
—Instituting regular and rigorous evaluations of executive agencies.

Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group said his organization is thrilled about the reforms Spitzer is introducing. “Is the system a mess? Yes it’s a mess. He’s doing something about it. That’s a good thing,� he said.