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Former Governor Eliot Spitzer, never a fan of the current governor, yesterday blasted his hiring and spending practices at the Empire State Development Corporation. A recent front-page New York Times story suggested Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration prefers politically connected hires, an implication Mr. Spitzer wholly agreed with.

"There has been a problem at ESDC," Mr. Spitzer told Road to City Hall host Errol Louis during last night's program. "I think that The New York Times article was very clear in that is merely the top layer of the onion in terms of politics being pervasive in hiring, leaving and pushing substance to the side."

Mr. Spitzer also tore into the agency's ad campaign promoting the state's economic growth, arguing that it amounted to "fluff."

"There has not been coherence at ESDC. They have spent who knows how much money on TV ads that are fluff and a waste of taxpayer money," Mr. Spitzer said. "When I talk to people upstate about where the funds are going, they are not being spent wisely, there is not creative thinking about it. And I'm deeply troubled by this and I think that what we saw in that little window into ESDC is problematic and I think that raises issues that really need to be pursued."

Mr. Louis pushed back, asking Mr. Spitzer, who resigned as governor in 2008, whether the officials should be judged by whether economic growth is actually achieved, rather than by the process of their hiring practices.

"When you look at ESDC hiring, I remember we would hire people with a deep, extensive background in economic development and knowing how to negotiate with companies to leverage limited dollars into more hiring. Those are the things---the metrics--you use and want to look at, not people who happen to be the sons, daughters, colleagues of people who make big contributions," Mr. Spitzer replied.

Mr. Cuomo's office, which denied politics factor into their hiring practices, did not immediately return a request for comment.

However, a Cuomo spokesman has previously said, “The Governor’s office has no comment on anything Spitzer says.”

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A couple days ago, the New York Daily News reported former Governor Eliot Spitzer "is being talked about" as a potential primary candidate against incumbent Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, a move he had reportedly seriously considered in 2010. On NY1's Inside City Hall last night, however, Mr. Spitzer dismissed the speculation and labeled Mr. DiNapoli "a buddy."

"It was a tabloid and you know I've always said ... to you, 'I never trust what's in the tabloids!'" Mr. Spitzer declared over the protestations of host the show's host, Errol Louis, a former Daily News columnist.

Mr. Spitzer pointed to the fact that he didn't comment for the article, which only cited Democrats privately bandying his name about and not anything from the former governor himself.

"Look, I haven't even seen the article," Mr. Spitzer said. "I got a call or two about it. I think--I hope--the article said I did not speak to the reporter, have never spoken to him about it. It's just made up out of nowhere. I have no idea where it comes from."

Pressed further about his opposition to Mr. DiNapoli's initial appointment following Alan Hevesi's forced resignation after he was found misusing state resources, Mr. Spitzer claimed Mr. DiNapoli was a "great friend" and said there had never been any personal animosity between the two.

"This is for people who have a long, long history," Mr. Spitzer explained. "Back to 2007, when Alan Hevesi had resigned, the Assembly and the State Senate chose Tom DiNapoli. Tom is a good friend. I've always liked him. Been a buddy of mine. Wonderfully nice. Decent, good person. My issue was I thought they should have chosen someone with deeper roots in the financial sector, who understood what is primarily a financial job, managing pension funds, auditing, etc."

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On Inside City Hall last night, former Governor Eliot Spitzer, who left office under the cloud of his own sex scandal, was called to weigh in on former C.I.A. Director David Petraeus' affair and whether President Barack Obama should have accepted his resignation as a result.

"As I understand the facts as we've seen in the papers so far, there was no criminal violation here," Mr. Spitzer argued. "There was no violation, I've been told, of even C.I.A. rules or regulations although there may be some questions there. It does strike me that perhaps the president could have looked him in the eye and said, ‘You have violated a bevy of ethical and moral rules that you understand. You will have to deal with that. You and your family will deal with that. But you will go back and continue to serve your nation. You will be straightforward with the public with what you've done. But I'm telling you as the commander and chief, serve the nation. That's what we expect of you; deal with the personal issues in your own way.'"

For what it's worth, Mr. Spitzer's fellow "Wise Guy," former Mayor Ed Koch, concurred.

"I was surprised that the president accepted the resignation if it is, as it apparently currently is, one mistress," Mr. Koch explained. "Two, I'd have a problem."

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A new poll of the race to replace term-limited New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg released last night included actor Alec Baldwin, who has hinted he might run for mayor. Based on the numbers, Mr. Baldwin might want to abandon his dream of sitting in City Hall. According to the poll, which was conducted by NY1 and Marist College, 66 percent of New York voters don't want Mr. Baldwin to even try running for mayor. 

Just 18 percent of registered New Yorkers said they'd like to see Mr. Baldwin make a mayoral bid while 16 percent were "unsure." Though Mr. Baldwin has earned a reputation as an outspoken liberal, opposition to him cut across party lines with 69 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans saying they don't want him to enter the mayoral race.

Mr. Baldwin performed even more poorly in the poll than scandal-scarred former Congressman Anthony Weiner and ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer.

The poll indicated 25 percent of New York voters would like to see Mr. Weiner, who resigned from the House of Representatives in June 2011, after he was caught sending lewd Twitter messages to multiple women, make a run for mayor while 58 percent of voters would prefer to see him stay out of the race. Mr. Spitzer, who left the governor's mansion in 2008 after he was busted for patronizing a prostitution ring, performed slightly better with 30 percent of voters saying they'd like to see him mount a mayoral campaign and 57 percent saying they want him to stay far from City Hall.

Politicker reached out to Mr. Baldwin to discuss the poll results. As of this writing, we have yet to receive a response.

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One almost gets the feeling that Governor Andrew Cuomo wishes former Gov. Eliot Spitzer would just go away.

Back in February, Mr. Spitzer called on Mr. Cuomo to veto the Legislature's gerrymandered redistricting map, causing the current governor's spokesman to retort, “The governor’s office has no comment on anything Spitzer says.”

Fast forward to this morning's New York Times report detailing yet another method of Mr. Cuomo's administration micromanaging information about itself. This time, it's his administration removing previously available files relating to his investigation into Mr. Spitzer's political surveillance controversy, known as Troopergate, when he was governor and Mr. Cuomo was attorney general. In the article, Mr. Spitzer said he was "deeply troubled" by the move, causing an actual comment on the situation from the current governor's office.

“This is just Eliot and his minions still trying to vindicate Eliot,” they snapped.

In a subsequent statement, however, they noted that they actually have no comment on the situation.

“The governor’s office does not respond to Eliot Spitzer, but any first-year lawyer knows it is important to protect confidential informants and to preserve the attorney-client privilege,” they added, saying their investigation wasn't alone in concluding "Spitzer abused his office and the people of the state.”

With Mr. Spitzer's new weekly appearance on Inside City Hall, the public needling between the two may only increase in the coming months.

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For his second appearance as one of Inside City Hall's "Wise Guys," former Governor Eliot Spitzer discussed the recent rumors of former Congressman Anthony Weiner running for public office again next year. Both former officials resigned due to lewd scandals, but, using his personal experience as a guide, Mr. Spitzer said the timing of  Mr. Weiner's resignation -- only a year ago -- makes now probably too soon for a comeback.

"I think we can all agree that a year is not a terribly lengthy period of time," he said. "Obviously I'm in a sort of difficult position to talk about this. It's been five years since I left office. Five years is more than one. You can see people's sensibilities change as they see you, talk to you, as you've done more things."

"I think that's a personal decision," he answered when later asked if Mr. Weiner should indeed give politics another go in the next election cycle. "I think next year is maybe a little short. But the public's tolerance for this is something that he will only determine by whether he floated this intentionally a not, who knows? I kind of doubt it. I mean, probably a little too short but the public will have to make that decision."

Mr. Spitzer also addressed Mr. Weiner's initial attempt to cover up his scandal and suggested it might have been a bit ham-fisted to claim his Twitter account had been hacked and somebody else had infamously sent out an indecent photo.

"It didn't work, that was the other problem," he said of the claim. "It was flawed."

For his part, Mr. Weiner continues to insist he has no interest in returning to politics in the near future, even after he's doing an increasing number of interviews with the media, like this one from People Magazine today:

"I'm very happy in my present life," Weiner, 47, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. "The only next dramatic steps I'm planning on are Jordan's first," he says, referring to his 6-month-old son and remaining noncommital on whether he will run for office again.

In his first joint interview with wife Huma Abedin, who is deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the couple address how they survived Weiner's lewd text and photo scandal that led to his resignation, as well as who has diaper duty.

"It took a lot of work to get to where are are today, but I want people to know we're a normal family," says Abedin, 37.

Eliot Spitzer (Photo: Getty)

"I am delighted to be joining two of New York's sharpest political minds to discuss the important issues of the day," Mr. Spitzer said in a statement distributed by the local cable news network.

Both Messrs. Koch and D'Amato issued statements praising their new colleague.

"Former Governor Eliot Spitzer is one of the smartest people I know.  His joining Wiseguys broadens its political insights. Welcome aboard, Eliot," Mr. Koch said.

“Eliot will certainly add some spark to the Wiseguys. Look for more fireworks!” added Mr. D’Amato.

Prior to joining Current TV as a replacement for Keith Olbermann in March, Mr. Spitzer hosted a show on CNN until it was cancelled last July due to low ratings. Mr. Spitzer had a similarly ignominious exit from state government. He resigned as governor in March, 2008 due to a prostitution scandal.

Eliot Spitzer (Photo: Getty)

In Current TV's email announcement about former governor Eliot Spitzer being hired to replace Keith Olbermann, the network invited viewers to "follow Spitzer on Twitter (@ESpitzer)." There was only one problem, that account doesn't really belong to Mr. Spitzer.

A little over forty minutes later, a Current spokesperson sent out another email saying, "Our apologies for the error – Eliot Spitzer does NOT have a Twitter handle." The Spitzer impostor hasn't Tweeted since May, 2010.

Prior to their departure from the site, the faux-Spitzer posted 24 Tweets. Their updates included shoutouts to schoolteachers, real estate advice, questions about out-of-state politics and multiple requests for more followers. Many of the fake Spitzer postings were riddled with spelling errors making it rather surprising Current's press team thought the account was the real deal.

"I appreciate all the hard work the Democratic Party has been doing. What is hapening with Kanye West and Taylor Swift?" the Tweeter wrote in September, 2009.

Despite the attention this counterfeit Spitzer account earned, in The Politicker's opinion, Fake Sheldon Silver remains Albany's best Twitter impostor.

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In City & State's morning newsletter today, an item appeared about former Governor Eliot Spitzer calling on current Governor Andrew Cuomo to veto the legislature's redistricting lines.

Reached for a comment, Governor Cuomo's spokesman, Josh Vlasto, had a rather blunt response:

"The Governor’s office has no comment on anything Spitzer says," Mr. Vlasto said.

Ouch.

One could likely assume the relationship between the two is not as warm as it could be.

Eliot Spitzer (Photo: Getty)

Former Governor Eliot Spitzer lost his job as a CNN host in last July, but apparently he still has money to burn. Since September, Mr. Spitzer has given donations to campaign committees for Councilman Mark Weprin, Michigan Congressman Sander Levin and Texas legislator Joaquin Castro. 

On September 20, Mr. Spitzer gave $1,000 to Mr. Levin and $500 to Mr. Castro. He gave another $1,000 to the "Friends of Mark Weprin 2013" campaign committee on December 10. All three beneficiaries of Mr. Spitzer's largesse are Democrats.

Mr. Spitzer left politics after he was busted patronizing prostitutes in 2008. Before he was caught spending money on sex, Mr. Spitzer was a prolific political donor. He made more than 100 donations at the local and federal level between 1998 and 2008.

After his scandalous resignation, Mr. Spitzer made just five donations between July 2008 and May 2009 giving a total of $5,000 to committees supporting Cy Vance Jr.'s campaign for Manhattan District attorney, Mark Green's unsuccessful bid to become public advocate, Pat O'Dwyer's run for Orange County Executive and the Educational Leadership PAC. Mr. Spitzer did not make any political donations between May 2009 and last September.