First things first: here is the Patrick/Murray Transition website. If you’re looking for information on the working groups or want to send in your resume to be considered for a job in the administration, that’s the place to go.
Some other interesting developments:
- Chief of Staff. Joan Wallace-Benjamin has been named the Patrick/Murray administration’s Chief of Staff. This is probably the most important job in the administration — if past practice is any guide, she will be the Governor’s closest aide and confidante, will play a major role in every policy initiative, and will generally control the operation of the Governor’s office and its staff. [UPDATE: David Bernstein at the Phoenix gives this appointment a B+.]
- Chief Legal Counsel. Ben Clements has been named Chief Legal Counsel to the Governor. Different Govs use their chief counsels in different ways, but Clements will almost certainly play a key role at least in judicial appointments (Patrick will name at least one Justice to the SJC — John Greaney will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2009). And he’ll probably also have at least some degree of influence on policy matters across the board.
- Transition Committee members. John Walsh will direct the transition committee staff, and a fourth co-chair, Kristin Demong, has been added to the three already announced. Richard Chacon and Doug Rubin will stick around at least through the transition; no word yet on whether they’ll stay on in the administration.
Here is the list of transition committee members:
Kenneth Ansin, Entrepreneur, President of Norwood Fine Cabinetry, Leominster
Zamawa Arenas, Principal/Director of Client Service, Argus Communications, Boston
Dr. Judy Bigby, Director of the Harvard Medical School Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, Boston
Dr. Josh Boger, Chief Executive Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge
Julianne Boyd, Founder and Artistic Director, Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield
John Bullard, President of the Sea Education Association (SEA), Woods Hole, and former Mayor of New Bedford
Wayne Burton, President, North Shore Community College, Danvers
James Caradonio, Superintendent, Worcester Public Schools
Elyse Cherry, Chief Executive Officer of Boston Community Capital and President of Boston Community Venture Fund
Gerard Dhooge, President, Maritime Trades Council of Greater Boston and New England
Tim Dibble, Founder and Managing General Partner of Alta Communications, Boston
Charlotte Golar Richie, Director, City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development
Michael Grunko, President, SEIU Local 509
Kathleen Kelley, Former President, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts
Patricia McGovern, General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate and Community Affairs, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, and former state senator
Larry Port, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, MassMutual, Springfield
Robert Reynolds, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Fidelity Investments
Greg Torres, Chairman of the Board of Directors, The MENTOR Network, Boston
Leverett Wing, Asian-American community activist, General Manager, Lee Wing Management, Boston
Thoughts?
Pity.
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No, seriously, I don’t really know any of the transition committee people, but both Joan Wallace-Benjamin and Ben Clements are very accomplished.
For women who are interested in applying for a senior-level post in the new administration, MassGAP, a coalition of about 40 women’s organizations, has been formed to make recommendations to the transition team. To apply for their recommendation visit http://www.massgap.org and fill out the form online.
Given the pain of the Romney years, and the focus of the campaign, I would have expected to see a selectman and a school committee member on the list. Tim may be strong enough to maintain that focus, but it can’t hurt to have people on the team who remember the call to solve problems with cities and towns.
Really, what else is there to say regarding local government that these organizations won’t express? Unless you want to pick up NAGE?