There’s no place like home. Just ask Alan Hevesi.
The scandal-plagued, publicity-shy state comptroller was busying himself with laundry at his Forest Hills, Queens, pad yesterday when The Post showed up to ask when he’ll debate his Republican opponent, Christopher Callaghan.
Hevesi wasn’t very chatty – but he hinted he may soon finally say something about his reluctance to debate.
“I may have a response for you next week,” Hevesi, shoeless, told a reporter.
At first, he was as reluctant to talk to The Post as he was to talk to Callaghan, who’s been hankering for weeks for a debate.
But less than an hour later, Hevesi re-emerged from his two-story Tudor-style home – and this time, he was chatty.
Asked why he has disappeared from the face of the political earth, Hevesi answered: “I’ve spoken to a number of editorial boards.”
But talking about issues, he said, has taken a back seat to his worries about allegations he improperly ordered a state employee to act as a chauffeur for his ailing wife Carol. She has suffered for years from the after-effects of a spinal injury.
“Right now, we have to focus on the legal process,” he said. “That has to take the priority.”
Hevesi then agreeably posed for photos, first asking the fotog to hang on while he put down his wife’s absentee ballot.
Moments later, Hevesi – carrying his laundry in a clear plastic bag – was whisked away in a car.
His state-owned Chevrolet Suburban remained parked on the street, as did another Chevy registered to his daughter Laura, who lives nearby.
Hevesi has said he repaid the state $83,000 to cover the cost of the taxpayer-funded chauffeur service – though the results of an investigation into the matter are still pending.
With two weeks to go before Election Day, the scandal seems to have had little impact on Hevesi’s lead. A recent poll has Hevesi up 54 percent to 27 percent over Callaghan, the former Saratoga County treasurer.
Yesterday, Callaghan reiterated claims of a connection between Hevesi’s state pension fund investments and campaign contributions, saying in a statement the denial by Hevesi spokesman David Neustadt is “laughable.”
On Friday, playing on his opponent’s recent disappearing act, Callaghan offered a “Callaghan for Comptroller” T-shirt as a reward for “any information leading to the whereabouts” of Hevesi.