Did the nearly 70 percent of New York voters who pulled the lever for Democrat Eliot Spitzer last November look for business as usual, or something more?

As state attorney general, Spitzer was called the "Sheriff of Wall Street. "Whether that title sprang from style or substance is open to debate, but many voters expected Spitzer to clean up Albany.

So much for that.

With Spitzer in the governor's office, bloated government grinds on, while political gamesmanship seems to have reached new levels.

During this year's state budget wrestling match, for example, Spitzer was quoted: "I in no way will regret having a late budget if it is the only way we contain the rabid spending that has been the story behind here up in Albany." Great thought, but in the end, this year's budget featured shifty bookkeeping and ... well ... rabid spending.

A budget analysis from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office found that spending was "undercounted by at least $2.9 billion." In addition, "a number of payments were shifted between fiscal years," which "had the effect of decreasing the rate of growth in disbursements from year to year."

After adjusting for these shenanigans, total state spending leaped by a breathtaking 8.7 percent, according to the comptroller's analysis.

That's business-as-usual big spending under Gov. Spitzer.

Then there was misuse of state police by top Spitzer aides in a political scheme to damage Republican State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. Spitzer's office was slammed by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, and investigations continue by the Albany district attorney, the state Ethics Commission and the State Senate's Investigations Committee.

Meanwhile, Spitzer, so adept at moral outrage regarding Wall Street, has apologized, but no heads have rolled in his administration. One suspended aide recently returned to the state payroll at a salary of $175,000. That's the business-as-usual old boys' network in Albany.

Finally, Spitzer announced last week that the New York Racing Association should continue running the state's three thoroughbred racetracks - Belmont Park in Nassau County, Aqueduct Race Track in Queens and the Saratoga Race Course. NYRA has operated the tracks since 1955, and would do so for the next 30 years, if the State Legislature goes along.

But NYRA's record has been abysmal. This quasi-governmental authority has been plagued by scandal over the years, entered bankruptcy in November and has received tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts. It has wasted assets at Belmont and Aqueduct, and done nothing bold or creative to give horse racing a boost in New York. In fact, while the three competing bids for the racetrack franchise proposed track upgrades, hotels and retail outlets, NYRA basically promised better management.

In 2003, Attorney General Spitzer accused NYRA officials of running a "corrupt system." Now, Gov. Spitzer has declared that "a new leadership
team at NYRA has turned the organization around." So, the governor has opted to stick with the same quasi-governmental model that has failed racing in New York for decades, hoping that it turns out different over the coming three decades. For good measure, Spitzer's plan would give NYRA another taxpayer bailout of at least $75 million.

It can't get any more business-as-usual than this in New York.

In a speech last month, Spitzer declared that, in his administration, there is "no room to stand down in the face of a still-powerful status quo." Nice words, but there's no evidence that Gov. Spitzer is serious about changing Albany's status quo. Instead, he has fully embraced the status quo. The Sheriff of Wall Street has become Governor Business-As-Usual.