Albany inquiry

It has been suggested that state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is the wrong person to investigate allegations surrounding New York Gov. David A. Paterson.

A Siena College poll shows that two-thirds of New Yorkers think someone else should inquire whether the governor acted improperly in contacting a woman who sought an order of protection against his former top aide, David W. Johnson.

The Johnson case has already resulted in the resignation of State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt, who said he was weary of the media's investigation of the scandal. There are questions of whether the governor's security detail interfered in the case of alleged domestic violence.

There is also a question of whether Gov. Paterson illegally procured free Yankees World Series tickets.

Some observers claim that Mr. Cuomo's office should not conduct an investigation that the governor himself requested and which falls logically into the attorney general's purview.

The reason? Politics. Mr. Cuomo is judged a strong candidate for governor and theoretically could benefit from an inquiry that finds Gov. Paterson improperly interfered in the Johnson case and violated gift rules in receiving the Series tickets.

Yet most people responding to the survey said that they trust Mr. Cuomo to conduct a fair investigation, even though they think an independent prosecutor should handle the proceedings.

In fact, Attorney General Cuomo's office has shown itself to be entirely fair and thorough in discharging its many duties. There is no reason to believe that the office would seek anything but the facts of whether the governor violated his trust on the questions presented.

The important thing is to do the investigation efficiently, professionally and properly so that state leaders can then focus on New York's most pressing issue — the state budget.