There will be a new face at the governor’s desk in Albany. But how soon will ripples of the Spitzer resignation wash ashore here in Binghamton?

The change in the state’s headmaster could throw off some of the government’s initiatives, but it’s too soon to tell, experts say.

“Everyone is shell-shocked,” said Jonathan Krasno, director of undergraduate studies in the political science department at Binghamton University. “It may be a disaster we come back from. We don’t know.”

Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who had been in office since January 2007, announced his resignation Wednesday after disclosures that he had been linked to a high-priced prostitution ring. Spitzer had garnered a moralistic self-image while he cracked down on crime as New York attorney general and while in Manhattan’s district attorney office. Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson, a state legislator for 22 years, will replace him Monday.

The outgoing governor’s ties to Binghamton run deep. He was in Binghamton just this past February seeking support for a $1 billion Upstate Revitalization Fund, that, if approved, would fund development, housing and agriculture projects in hopes of reviving the upstate economy.

Both Spitzer and his wife, Silda, have been huge proponents for the Restore New York program, a project aimed at encouraging economic development and neighborhood growth by providing struggling areas with financial assistance to rebuild commercial and residential properties.

The City of Binghamton has used funds awarded from Restore New York to remove blight from the Downtown area.

According to Andrew Block, the City of Binghamton’s director of community relations, Mayor Matt Ryan does not anticipate that Spitzer’s resignation will influence the funds allocated to Binghamton from the Restore New York program.

“It’s going to affect the program in no way,” Block said. “This year is the second year in a three-year initiative. It was passed in an assembly of which Paterson was a part and it will continue with the support of the state.”

New York’s first lady also hand-selected BU senior Josh Kay to join a coalition that aims to increase the retention of college graduates upstate.

In addition to his efforts to revitalize upstate’s economy, Spitzer has set in motion plans to completely make-over New York’s University systems. He formed the Commission on Higher Education for New York State last May, personally inviting BU President Lois DeFleur to join in an effort to improve the SUNY and CUNY systems.

When the commission released its preliminary report in December, suggestions included hiring 2,000 new full-time professors across both systems and creating “flagship schools.” In the budget that he released in January, Spitzer also included plans to create a $4 billion endowment for public higher education in New York.

According to David Henahan, a SUNY spokesman, the New York State’s public higher education will continue to attempt to gain support for Spitzer’s budgetary suggestions.

“From SUNY’s perspective, we’re going to continue to advocate for the endowment and several other items included in the governor’s budget,” Henahan said. “Once the new governor is sworn in, we will work very hard to make our case heard to David Patterson.”

While many state officials seem hopeful about the transition, Krasno, whose research focuses on public opinion, congressional elections, campaigns and campaign financing, and who has authored two books on the subjects, feels such optimism may be unwarranted.

“I think there’s a real danger for these plans to fall by the wayside,” Krasno said. “When you get into a situation where the state’s head politician resigns, everything is thrown into flux.”