Opinion

Corruptocrats’ crash?

After two years of staggering ineptitude and corruption, the thought that New Yorkers might return to power the Democratic boodlers who now run the state Senate is cause for serious concern.

State Inspector General Joseph Fisch’s findings last week regarding the Senate leadership makes the need for fundamental change even more obvious.

And yet, unless voters are willing to dump Dems, particularly incumbents, in their own districts, it’ll be deja vu all over again in the Senate come January.

The good news: All that’s needed to pry the body from the corruptocrats now in charge is a switch of but two seats: Dems control the Senate, 32-30 — an edge that produced one-party rule in Albany in ’08 and set the stage for paralysis, dysfunction and epic political sleaze.

Fisch’s report cites Senate leaders’ shady moves to ensure that a politically wired firm would get a juicy contract to run slot machines at Aqueduct.

He notes “ethically problematic conduct [by] several Senate officials,” singling out top Dem dogs like John Sampson and Malcolm Smith. These leaders, he adds, “focused on political gain at a cost of millions to New Yorkers.”

And it’s not just rhetoric: Fisch has referred the matter to Manhattan DA Cy Vance and US Attorney Preet Bharara for criminal prosecution.

Now, voters who don’t like their pockets picked might be expected to boot

such a lot in a New York minute. But in this state, folks back incumbents blindly.

Might this year be different?

The odds are shorter than usual, given the level of voter disgust — and the strong crop of GOP candidates looking to set things right.

Such as: Bob Cohen, Liam McLaughlin, Greg Ball and Scott Vanderhoef in Westchester, Putnam and Orange counties; Frank Padavan and Anthony Como in Queens; Lee Zeldin and Kemp Hannon on Long Island, and Steve Saland in Dutchess and Columbia — among others.

These Republicans (each of whom we endorsed earlier) vow to end the culture of corruption and dysfunction in the Senate, to clamp down on runaway spending and onerous taxes and to stand up to special interests, like the powerful public-employee unions.

At the very least, a shift to the Republicans would put Sampson, Smith & Co. out of business. And not a moment too soon.

That lesson should also apply, by the way, to Sen. Eric Schneiderman, another of the Dems’ top honchos who’s vying for attorney general despite his own sleazy record. (Talk about chutzpah!) Electing corruption-fighting Staten Island DA Dan Donovan would do the job.

Whatever they do, though, New Yorkers should make sure to install at least some GOP representation in Albany.

And that Sleaze “R” Us Democrats aren’t rewarded for their sins.