ALBANY - When Eliot Spitzer won the governorship with 70 percent of the vote, he trumpeted that the public had given him a “mandate” for reform.

But now, many political observers are pondering what will become of his ambitious change agenda and other priorities as Spitzer's future becomes uncertain and many speculate that Lt. Gov. David Paterson may take over by week's end.

“It's hard to know what a Governor Paterson would have in mind, but being the lieutenant governor, I assume they are on the same wavelength,” said Democratic Assemblyman Robert Sweeney. “Considering the fact that we are midway through the session already, it would be difficult ... to change things abruptly, so I would anticipate that Governor Paterson would move forward with essentially the same kind of programs and agenda that Governor Spitzer had.”

Many good government groups anticipate that efforts to clean up Albany would continue if Paterson takes the helm.

Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters said Paterson would wait until the budget is resolved before laying out his own agenda, and she hopes that reform would be on his list. “While he was in the legislature, clean elections was one of his bills,” she said of Paterson, who represented Harlem in the Senate for 22 years.

Sen. Dean Skelos, a Long Island Republican who served beside Paterson, said Paterson's “agenda has been a lot more liberal than what Eliot Spitzer's has been,” pointing to the lieutenant governor's support of a commuter tax and opposition to the death penalty. “He carries an urban agenda against fairness to the suburban communities,” Skelos said.

If the governor resigns, congestion pricing, in particular, could fall victim to a scandal-induced paralysis, depending on how quickly he leaves and how well the new administration handles the transition.

The state has until March 31 to approve a plan to charge motorists to enter certain parts of Manhattan, or lose out on $354,000 in federal mass transit funding.

Back in the Capitol, the Assembly and Senate got back to business, meeting to approve three members of the Board of Regents.

The Senate also released an outline of its proposed budget and the Assembly was expected to follow suit Wednesday.

However, not all business was back on track. By midday, most of the week's scheduled news conferences had been canceled.

As lawmakers ponder the crisis, another significant issue was being discussed: the balance of power, especially in the Senate.

However, observers have speculated that without Spitzer as a fundraiser, the Democrats' efforts to take control may be in vain.