When the State Legislature appointed Thomas DiNapoli to succeed the disgraced Alan Hevesi as state comptroller four years ago, Governor Eliot Spitzer jumped aboard his high horse and denounced Mr. DiNapoli as unqualified.

Mr. Spitzer, of course, soon joined Mr. Hevesi in involuntary exile, and Mr. DiNapoli, a former assemblyman from Long Island, set about reforming the office for which he was supposedly "unqualified." The cronyism and horrendous ethical abuses of Mr. Hevesi's regime were cleaned up, to the dismay of lobbyists and favor seekers. Now, Mr. DiNapoli is running for a full term in his own right, while his onetime critic has been reduced to sparring on cable television.

Mr. DiNapoli deserves the support of New York's voters in next week's election. The Observer endorses his bid to join Democratic running mates Andrew Cuomo and Eric Schneiderman in changing the dysfunctional culture of Albany.