FOR THE RECORD

Although Governor Spitzer, just a week after telling a top Republican Assemblyman that he was a "steamroller," got rear-ended by the Legislature's election of Tom DiNapoli as State Comptroller, it wasn't necessarily a defeat that will leave scars.

There were some who argued that Mr. Spitzer actually wound up a winner as editorial writers rose up to smite legislators for playing politics as usual in the face of the Sheriff of Wall Street's first major attempt to change Albany's culture.

"Everybody comes out looking strong where they want to look strong," said State Sen. John Sabini. Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, who in the past has shown himself to be largely immune to media criticism, averted an uprising from within the Democratic majority that might have resulted if he had allowed Mr. Spitzer to control the process to the end, and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno kept the new Governor from building an executive body juggernaut.

But the three Republicans who crossed party lines to vote for Finance Commissioner Martha Stark over Mr. DiNapoli served as a reminder of a potentially more-important battle in which Mr. Spitzer prevailed the day before the Comptroller contest. His strong involvement in the election of Democrat Craig Johnson to fill the Senate seat from Nassau County vacated when Republican Michael Balboni joined Mr. Spitzer's administration brought Democrats one step closer to seizing control of the Legislature's upper house for the first time in 40 years.

Republicans still hold a four-seat majority, but if just two incumbents switched parties, the Senate would be evenly split, and Lieut. Gov. David Paterson would cast the tie-breaking vote.

Democratic State Sen. Diane Savino noted that both Joe Robach from the Rochester area and John Bonacic, who represents the mid-Hudson Valley, crossed Majority Leader Joe Bruno to back Ms. Stark at a time when it has been speculated that they could move to the other side of the aisle. (Mr. Robach, a former Democrat, has denied he is considering doubling back to his old party.)

The third defector from the Republican side was George Maziarz from the Buffalo area, who chairs the Senate Labor Committee (Mr. Robach, Ms. Savino noted, heads the Civil Service and Pensions Committee).

That was why Ms. Savino does not see the skirmishes between Mr. Spitzer and Senator Bruno abating any time soon. She noted that she has always regarded the Governor as "a Democratic Rudy Giuliani," which can be both good and bad.

"Eliot Spitzer, if he picks his battles, can actually accomplish what he wants to do," said Ms. Savino, who used to be the vice president for political action at Local 371 of District Council 37.

She said she wasn't overly concerned at how last week's maneuvering might affect the Legislature's image, explaining, "I think that unfortunately it just confirms what people already believed. We didn't get the title of the most dysfunctional legislature in the country by accident. We earned it."

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The Hundred Year Association and Marymount Manhattan College Feb. 15 are sponsoring a forecast of investment trends in the stock and bond markets by Kevin J. Bannon, executive vice president and chief investment officer for the Bank of New York.

The event, which is free, will be held at the college, 221 East 71st St., beginning at 7 p.m. After Mr. Bannon's presentation, which will include suggestions for individual investors, there will be a question and answer period. Reservations are needed and can be made by calling (212) 922-0791.

The 100 Year Association, which has co-sponsored such investment forecasts for the past 14 years, is a public service organization of corporations doing business here for at least the past century, including this newspaper.

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Our condolences to the family of former Uniformed Fire Officers' Association President Ray Gimmler, who died Feb. 8. Funeral services were held Feb. 12 at St. Raymond's Roman Catholic Church in East Rockaway.

A full obituary of the colorful labor leader and lobbyist - he represented the UFOA in Albany from 1973 through 1992 - will appear next week.