Under the grip of former Gov. George Pataki, state government was controlled by the now infamous triad of Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, derisively known as the “three men in a room.” In his first few weeks in office, new Gov. Eliot Spitzer has made it clear that he’s not interested in playing nice with Bruno and Silver. First, Spitzer took an active role in the Democratic takeover of a State Senate seat on Long Island, using his considerable influence to get Craig Johnson elected to a seat that had been held by Republicans for a century. Since then, he has engaged in a public battle with Silver after the Speaker engineered the selection of one of his own conference members, Thomas DiNapoli, to be the next comptroller, going against a deal the two had made to select the next comptroller based on the recommendations of an independent panel made up of former comptrollers themselves.

Silver went back on his word, and Spitzer is not happy. Spitzer was elected to reform Albany, and the DiNapoli selection represents the first major defeat of that reform agenda. In response, Spitzer has made it clear that he would be willing to get involved in campaigns opposing Albany incumbents, including members of his own party, if he deems those incumbents as hostile to reform. Though elected officials might not appreciate such bluster, Spitzer’s landslide election in November and high approval ratings indicate that he has the people of New York on his side. Now, those people are flexing their own reform muscles.

For a few years national politics have been increasingly shaped on both side by the so-called “netroots,” politically active individuals who have coalesced through the Internet to shape policy and influence elections. The day after last year’s general election, Brian Keeler, Phillip Anderson and Audrey Molsky saw Spitzer’s victory as a great step forward for Albany reform, but realized it was also just the tip of the iceberg. They formed the Albany Project (www.albanyproject.com), an Internet community and blog dedicated to making sure the State Legislature followed through on promises of reform.

“The day after the election, our emotions were torn. The campaign had been long and tough. I was very happy for the country, because it seemed at last we had begun to wake up from a long national nightmare ... but, here in New York, the status quo had surprisingly won out. Only one State Senate seat changed hands, and that certainly wasn’t enough to break the reign of the ‘three men in a room.’ Rather than mourn our loss, we decided to do something about it and try to raise awareness in the minds of New Yorkers that their government was totally out of control,” said Keeler.

Aside from highlighting the dysfunctional nature of Albany’s legislative process, Keeler and company have put together an agenda for reform they hope candidates will adopt and have committed to playing an active role in State campaigns. A few weeks ago, they helped coordinate a blog-based fundraiser for Johnson’s successful campaign, which brought the Republican majority in the State Senate to just two seats. At first glance, the Albany Project appears to be a left-leaning site totally focused on the Republicans in the State Senate. That has as much to do necessity as it does ideology, said Keeler.

“Will I support Republicans committed to reform? Right now I think the most important job we have is to end the reign of Joe Bruno and the Republican Senate. That has been the place where all reform has gone to die. Ask me that question again when the State Senate is blue and after we see how they react to the need for responsible government,” said Keeler.

Silver should watch out, said Keeler. He notes that the failure of the Assembly to pass reform-minded legislation has been largely ignored since the Republican-controlled State Senate was the perfect enemy. Since reform legislation would die there anyway, it was easy for the Assembly to take a strong stand for reform since nothing would be accomplished in the end anyway. “Imagine how they will vote on measures that will make it easier to replace them, like clean money, clean elections and non-partisan redistricting. [Silver] has to push for open, honest government. If he doesn’t, I think his days as Speaker will be numbered,” said Keeler.

It took a few years for the national party apparatus on both the left and the right to take the “netroots” seriously. Now they have become their own electoral machine. What used to be dismissed as a nuisance has become a serious threat to the power of the satiated incumbency. That movement has now landed in New York. Will Silver and his ilk take it seriously? Maybe not now, said Keeler, but their eventual wake-up call might be too late. “I think that is changing,” said Keeler of the “netroots” perception in New York, “and those who don’t will find themselves regretting it, I’m sure.”

Albany, you’ve been warned.