In comptroller's race, it's State Street vs. Wall Street

Of all the major-party candidates from Long Island who ran for statewide office this year, only Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli of Nassau remains standing with six days left to the election.

Suffolk Executive Steve Levy was gone from the governor's race by June. Former Rep. Rick Lazio lost the Republican primary, then ceded the Conservative nomination, to Carl Paladino. Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice landed second in the Democratic primary for attorney general. U.S. Senate hopefuls Gary Berntsen and Bruce Blakeman lost GOP primaries.

Now Democrat DiNapoli trades hard shots with Republican challenger Harry Wilson. DiNapoli, of course, came to the job by the appointment of his legislative colleagues in 2007 - seasoned in politics but not finance. Wilson comes to this as the reverse - steeped in finance and corporate restructuring but new to the Capitol scene.

DiNapoli represented Great Neck in the state Assembly for two decades. Wilson was raised in upstate Johnstown, a onetime industrial hub.

Which leads to the question: Does home turf matter when the public job entails sole trusteeship of huge retirement funds and government audit and certification powers in Albany?

"I do think a number of Long Islanders feel that some of the issues do play a little differently in our backyard," DiNapoli said, in part, Tuesday.

He talked up his office's role in monitoring rail and bus agencies, the Long Island Power Authority and land-preservation efforts.

In turn, Wilson notes that Westchester, where he now lives, is known to have the highest local tax burden, with Nassau second. He underscores DiNapoli's votes as a legislator for tax increases, claiming the incumbent has "not understood the challenges" Long Island faces.

"By contrast I am running to reduce spending and taxes," Wilson said.

Each candidate casts the other's terrain as the dark side - Wall Street for one, State Street for the other. Wilson underscores DiNapoli's "labor and special interest" campaign contributions. DiNapoli refers to Wilson as "Hedge Fund Harry." In DiNapoli's narrative he's cleaned up the office after fellow lawmakers appointed him to replace the disgraced Alan Hevesi. In Wilson's, DiNapoli represents continued rule by the same set of players.

DiNapoli downspins Wilson's role in a presidential task force restructuring General Motors, in part by saying Wilson's former firm stood to profit. Wilson has demanded an apology for what he called a baseless attempt to impugn his integrity.

Some in the Wilson camp are hoping that one historical pattern will work in their favor.

For 41 of the past 50 years in New York, the comptroller and the governor have been from different parties. The past four years are unusual, with DiNapoli serving during the governorship of fellow Democrats Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson. Another aberration was the period 1975 to 1978 when Hugh Carey served his first term as governor and fellow Democrat Arthur Levitt served his last term as comptroller.

If the latest polling holds up, the governor's office will remain in Democratic hands. What that means in the comptroller race will be worth considering as results come in Tuesday night.