Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters in the Utica area today that he is able to work with any sort of coalition in the state Senate, but he warned lawmakers that he wants to focus on policy, not politics.

Cuomo’s comments come as Sen. Jeff Klein and his four-member Independent Democratic Conference say they would form a power-sharing agreement with the Senate GOP, though how that leadership shakes out ultimately remains undecided.

“I haven’t seen the comments,” Cuomo said of Klein’s quotes in a New York Times story today. ”I’ve been here two years. I think we’ve proven that we can work with just about anybody in any political configuration.”

But echoing his former top aide Steve Cohen, who gave a radio interview on Talk-1300 earlier today, Cuomo said he is focused more on the issues.

“What’s most important to me is an elected official’s position on the issues and how do you support my policies as opposed to their politics and political issues,” Cuomo said. ”Let them do their politics, I’m interested in their policies moving forward.”

Vague as that may be, it’s tough to blame him, since control of the Senate — coalition style or otherwise — is very much unclear at this point.

What Cuomo clearly does not want is another situation similar to the leadership coup of 2009, which paralyzed action in the chamber for weeks.

The governor runs for re-election in 2014 and has floated multiple trial balloons of agenda goals that are decidedly favorable to progressives and liberals.

“I watched, New Yorkers watched, for too many years the gridlock in Albany, the dysfunction in Albany, there were times I was embarassed that was my state government. So we said when we got to Albany we were not going to play those political games,” Cuomo said.

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