You take the good with the bad. Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer has made a point of letting everyone know that his administration will not require party litmus tests when it comes time to pick the right people for the right job. This commitment to non-partisan excellence will mean the most at the bottom of the ladder, since the actual work the various state agencies do is accomplished by the rank and file, everyday individual that pushes paper up in Albany.

Spitzer has stated in crystal clear terms that individuals who happen to belong to the Republican or Conservative Party will not be dismissed out of hand should they decide to become part of his reform agenda. And by his actions, the governor-elect has demonstrated that these are not the hollow promises of a career politician. Last week, Spitzer selected Nassau State Senator Michael Balboni, who at one time was a potential candidate for attorney general on the Republican side, as his new homeland security czar.

“There is no one better prepared to serve the state in this capacity than Michael Balboni,” said Spitzer when he announced the appointment. “Since Sept. 11, he has been at the forefront of the state’s homeland security and disaster preparedness efforts. He understands what has been done to date and he knows what the state must do going forward. I am honored that he has agreed to join the administration in a senior position and lead this important effort.”

Balboni supported former Assembly Minority Leader John Faso, who is as conservative as they come, against Spitzer in November’s election, providing both an endorsement and monetary support to the Republican challenger who was never able to grow beyond his limited base. But Balboni also has a serious resume, and is extremely qualified to take charge of the State’s homeland security needs. He chairs the State Senate committee on homeland security, has authored several laws strengthening anti-terror laws and, in 2005, was named senior fellow at the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University. Balboni is no lightweight, and Spitzer was not going to let partisan politics dictate the safety of the State.

On the other hand, Spitzer has made it just as clear that there is still room in his administration for the occasional patronage job. With the appointment of Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez to the position of Secretary of State, Spitzer raised the hackles of reform-minded Albany watchers everywhere. Cortes-Vazquez is extremely close to former Bronx Democratic boss Roberto Ramirez, who currently heads up the Mirram Group consulting firm, and almost every job she has ever held can be in some way traced back to Ramirez’s influence. Her position on the State Board of Regents was always reported to have been engineered by Ramirez. The Hispanic Federation was more or less operated like a political club during her term as its director, acting as a proxy for Fernando Ferrer during his 2005 race against Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The group, filled with Ferrer loyalists, ridiculed Bloomberg for failing to attend a debate they had set up between their candidate and Ferrer, even though Bloomberg probably declined the invitation because he was not interested in being ambushed.

Though she now works for Cablevision, Cortes-Vazquez still has friends in high places. Ramirez’s firm shared some of the consulting work on Spitzer’s campaign, and those politicians within Ramirez’s sphere of influence never wavered in their support of Spitzer’s candidacy. Though his election was never in any serious doubt, Spitzer still felt the need to pay Ramirez for his services, and this appointment represents that gratitude. Cortes-Vazquez might be the hackiest hack that ever hacked, but in this case that didn’t matter to Spitzer.

Despite all of his “day one” rhetoric, Spitzer and his aides likely understand that the culture of Albany would prevent any dramatic changes from occurring on day one or even day 100. To effectively judge a reform agenda, Spitzer will probably have to be judged by what he has or has not accomplished by day 1,000, almost three years into his first term. By then, Spitzer would have had a real chance to push against the system, to enact his own agenda, and to make his quest for Albany reform a reality. This takes time, no matter what Spitzer told everyone during the campaign.

If you are looking for a glimmer of hope regarding Spitzer’s plan for reform, look no further than the appointment of Balboni. Here, the governor-elect made sure to pick an extremely qualified individual for a very important post. Say what you want about Cortes-Vazquez, but no one is going to be asking her to cure cancer at the Department of State.

The position has almost zero real responsibility. Had their positions been reversed, the Cortes-Vazquez affair would certainly be scandalous. But Spitzer appears to understand that you have to bury your patronage in the back office.

Sometimes, reform has to be enacted in baby steps.