One of the hot issues debated in Albany this year is campaign finance reform for statewide offices.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer got things rolling at the beginning of the legislative session when he came out with his plan to reduce maximum campaign donations.

But his recent fundraising trip to California, along with the revelation that he's encouraging people to bundle large amounts of money for his campaign committee have certainly hurt his credibility.

The state Senate Republicans have been quick to jump on what they see as Spitzer's hypocrisy. They've opposed his plan, saying it limits free speech and ultimately a person's right to support a candidate.

Enter new state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Last week, DiNapoli outlined a detailed program that would essentially combine elements of public and private campaign financing in order to rein in spending. He then said he would be willing to use the next race for the office he now holds as a test case.

DiNapoli's program would be voluntary. If you didn't want to collect the public financing funds - which would provide $6 for every $1 raised privately in general elections - you could essentially operate under the old system. To get the public funds, campaign donations would be limited to $10,000 per individual and overall spending would be capped at $7.5 million for a general election.

DiNapoli's proposal is intriguing. It aims to reduce the influence of a small number of extremely wealthy donors, and it aims to make overall campaign spending something that at least gives middle-class residents a shot at seeking higher office.

We urge the governor and Legislature to seriously consider giving this proposal a test run in the next statewide elections.