The state Assembly is unfairly playing politics with one of the most important decisions that will come before the Legislature this session.

A plan to find a new state comptroller that was put in place by Gov. Eliot Spitzer had utilized the expertise of three former comptrollers to help narrow the field of applicants.

The selection process began after Alan Hevesi resigned in December.

The panel narrowed the list to three finalists, but the short list apparently doesn't sit well with Assembly Democrats, who seem bent on having one of their own get the job. Four Democrats in the Assembly are interested in the job, and some members of the Assembly have said they would likely reject the three finalists in favor of a fellow Assembly member.

Yes, it's the job of the full Legislature - and not the governor - to select the new comptroller, but the selection process that led to three finalists was a fair process. What better expertise could be called upon to review the qualifications of the applicants than two former state comptrollers and a former New York City comptroller?

The state comptroller is supposed to act as watchdog for the taxpayers, and the most important qualification for the position is experience in fiscal management, not political connections.

You may recall that Hevesi was forced out of the job because he had illegally spent thousands of taxpayer dollars by having state workers act as drivers for his wife.

It's especially important now that the office be taken over by someone who can be trusted.

The three finalists for comptroller were selected by experts, not cronies.

If the state Assembly throws the names out in favor of a lesser-qualified person, they are doing a great disservice to the people they were elected to represent.