Politics on the Hudson

There should be two main qualifications for whoever is picked as the next state comptroller: “a temperament for public life and a feel for public policy.’’

So spoke former Comptroller Edward Regan last month when he was picked as one of three former comptrollers to screen potential successors to Alan Hevesi.

Regan said he had done “nothing that would qualify me as being handle $1 billion,’’ which was the size of the state pension fund (now $140 billion) when he took office in 1979. He said then that a strong financial background was a plus, “but not what counts.’’

“You might very well get candidates who have great financial background, CPAs, but don’t belong in front of an audience,’’ he said, and therefore aren’t fit for the job. But when he chose a trio of potential successors to Alan Hevesi, financial expertise seemed paramount.

When H. Carl McCall, another former comptroller and member of the panel, was asked to name the most important qualifications last month, he listed integrity, independence and manageial skills.

“Financial background is important but othre experience is important as well,’’ he said then, adding that members of the Legislature shouldn’t be disqualified from consideration. But he also voted to include no lawmakers on the finalists’ list. What changed their minds?

Hard to tell, since, as Shelly Silver said today, none asked any questions during two days of interviews with the 18 potential comptrollers, including six lawmakers, all of whom they rejected as unqualified.

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