Vote Joseph Hernandez for state comptroller to finally shake up Albany

In the race for New York state comptroller, The Post endorses Republican businessman Joseph Hernandez over Democratic incumbent Tom DiNapoli.It’s surely time for a change at that office: DiNapoli has served for a full 20 years, the second longest in state history.And as New York’s top fiscal watchdog, he bears significant responsibility for the state’s pathetic — and worsening — fiscal condition.Consider: The Empire State spends more, and owes more, per capita than nearly every other state.Residents bear the nation’s absolute highest state- and local-tax burden.Despite ever-rising levies, Albany faces a jaw-dropping $32 billion shortfall in revenue over the next three years.Where’s DiNapoli been all these years?Sure, his (never-read) reports often note the state’s fiscal woes.But you’ve never heard DiNapoli screaming from the rooftops about the state’s sorry fiscal affairs — let alone demanding lawmakers stamp on the brakes.Because he’s a don’t-make-waves Democrat in an overwhelmingly Democratic state; that’s how he’s survived in office for so long.Voters this year demand “affordability”: They want lower taxes, lower utility bills, lower costs overall.That means they need a real comptroller, one who’ll take on the status quo, audit more aggressively for fraud and waste and use the bully pulpit to demand better fiscal management.Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.

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Hernandez is the man for that job.A Cuban immigrant who ran for New York City mayor last year, he founded several tech and health-care companies and now serves as senior managing partner at Blue Water Venture Partners.Thanks to his business and financial acumen, his blood boils over the fact that state debt now costs taxpayers a whopping $1.6 billion a year in interest alone.He also blast...