FOR THE RECORD

The reaction to the pending Federal investigation of Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's business transactions - including a call by one Senator from his party to give up his leadership position - has prompted several prominent unions to rush to Mr. Bruno's defense.

The Senator from upstate Renssalaer County, while generally conservative politically, over the past decade has cultivated good working relationships with several union leaders whose politics are well to the left of his, finding common ground on budget and legislative issues.

Mr. Bruno over the past couple of years has allocated $500,000 in "member items," as well as helping to steer $2.5 million in state aid, to a technology company whose owner, Jared Abbruzzese, has private business dealings with Mr. Bruno and has allowed him to travel on his jet. Mr. Abbruzzese is also part of a group bidding to take over the state's thoroughbred racing operations, with the Senate Majority Leader - a well-known horse enthusiast - expected to have a major say in the final selection.

Two weeks ago, Orange County Sen. John Bonacic called on Mr. Bruno to relinquish his post as Majority Leader until the probe was completed. That prompted a flurry of press releases from union officials defending Mr. Bruno.

State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes declared that "the labor movement has no better friend" than the man who "has consistently fought to protect and enhance the lives and well-being of working people, often at great political risk." He urged that there "be no rush to judgment regarding his ability to lead."

Civil Service Employees' Association President Danny Donohue chimed in, "Senator Bruno has not been charged with any offense, and we take him at his word when he says he has done nothing wrong."

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said, "His integrity and sense of purpose have helped make New York a better place to live. Senator Bruno has been and will continue to be the kind of leader New York needs." Senator Bonacic's call for Mr. Bruno to step aside was viewed among some insiders as a push by his ally, Nassau Sen. Dean Skelos, to take the leadership reins at a time when Republicans, having lost the governorship, are nervous about what a corruption scandal could mean for their six-seat majority in the Senate. The unions leaping to Mr. Bruno's defense seemed to be his way of showing that he still commanded respect and would not be easy prey for a coup, as his predecessor, Ralph Marino, was after angering newly elected Governor Pataki with his lukewarm support during the 1994 campaign.

But on Dec. 26, six days before he took office as Governor, Eliot Spitzer posed a further threat to Republican control of the Senate when he persuaded Sen. Michael Balboni of Nassau to be his top aide on homeland security. Although Mr. Balboni planned to stay in the Senate long enough to re-elect Mr. Bruno as Majority Leader Jan. 3, the prospect that a special election to replace him could give that seat to the Democrats prompted Mr. Bonacic to send a letter to his GOP colleagues on the day of Mr. Spitzer's announcement urging them to choose the party's interests over those "of any member" and oust the Majority Leader.

* * *

For a guy who's trumpeted his ideals like the second coming of Camelot, Governor Spitzer used the final week's run-up before ascending to the throne to show off the kind of political power moves that are associated with partisan leaders.

It started with his tapping Mr. Balboni to be the Governor's top aide on homeland security matters. This did not necessarily have to be an attempt to weaken Republican control of the Senate - Mr. Balboni has enough background in this area that no one would confuse him with old Yankee Steve Balboni, who had no clue about defense.

But when Newsday reported on its political blog that Mr. Spitzer or his aides had approached Queens State Sen. Serphin Maltese about an unspecified job, it began to suggest a pattern. With just a couple more "bipartisan" hires in districts where Democratic edges in registration could swing seats to his party's control if a longtime Republican incumbent weren't running, Mr. Spitzer might tip the balance in the Legislature's upper body even before the next election in 2008.