By Tom Deignan

For better or worse, for the 12 years George Pataki was governor, there was no shortage of Irish names within his administration. Pataki himself often boasted of his Irish roots, even though they were not reflected in his name.

The broader story of the heavily Irish Pataki administration is that it was a Republican one, proving definitively that the days of Irish American loyalty to the Democratic Party were long gone.

You could even argue that through the 1980s and into the Pataki years, a sort of statewide Republican Irish American machine got up and running by forming a strong coalition with other white ethnic groups who were no longer attracted to the Democrats.

Well, enter the new big wig in Albany, Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer, promising to be independent, no man for any kind of machine.

Take it for what it is, but when you scanned the names of Spitzer’s advisers, there did

not appear to be

many Hibernian names. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, of course. Just an observation.

At times, Spitzer has proven a close ally to New York Irish American community, though some conservative-leaning Catholics see him as far too liberal on the abortion question. It did not help that Spitzer was embroiled in a minor St. Patrick’s Day scandal a few years back when an Irish Catholic group objected to his appearance at a pre-parade function which blurred the lines between ethnicity and religion.

Anyway, Spitzer has promised to run things a different way in Albany. He appears to be doing just that. And two sons of Irish immigrants will be closely affected.

One of them, Patrick J. Foye, already has a job. Observers say that Foye is notably independent, without close ties to New York’s Republicans or Democrats.

Foye is the new

chairman for the

Empire State Develop-ment Corporation, New York’s powerful agency charged with promoting business and development projects.

Foye had previously served as president and chief executive of United Way of Long Island. He replaces Charles Gargano at his new position, a prominent Republican power broker. Time will tell if the hard-charging Foye will rise to the level of Gargano’s influence.

According to a recent New York Times article, Foye’s father was an elevator operator, doorman and union leader while his mother worked as a waitress. Foye was reportedly the first member of his family to graduate from high school. He later made it to college thanks to a union scholarship.

Foye, who has three children and lives on Long Island with his wife Suzanne, became president and CEO of Long Island United Way in 2004. Before that he was executive vice president of Apartment Investment and Manage-ment Company, and worked in the high flying financial world.

What does Foye’s appointment say about the types of people Spitzer is looking for?

Hank Sheinkopf, a prominent Democratic consultant recently told Newsday, “What you’re seeing in these choices so far are nontraditional kinds of people who don’t fit the political mold.”

Indeed, in the past, Foye -– a Fordham law school graduate — has donated money to both Republicans and Democrats.

Foye has spoken publicly about his priorities, which include the redevelopment of Penn Station and West 34th Street in Manhattan as well as the controversial Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. Of course, there is also Ground Zero.

More broadly, Foye is an interesting figure because he seems to capture what Spitzer is trying to bring to Albany — independent thinkers free from tight party affiliations.

This may very well affect another Irishman. Bronx native Bill Mulrow (like Foye, his parents were immigrants) remains a possible replacement for Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who has resigned in disgrace. This week, Spitzer and New York Assembly leaders agreed on a process by which they will fill the comptroller’s seat, which Mulrow ran for in 2002, losing to Hevesi.

Mulrow is a close ally of Spitzer’s. He is also a lifelong union man and Democrat. Will that matter? Stay tuned.

(Contact at tom deignan@earthlink.net)