A couple of posts have already noted that the Governor’s office announced some staffing changes today. Here is the full press release, so that everyone can see the full extent of the changes.
Governor Deval Patrick today announced a number of changes to the Governor’s senior staff designed to facilitate implementation and coordination of the Administration’s policy priorities, including promoting progress on key elements of its budget, upcoming education initiatives, and programs to create jobs and grow the state’s economy.
David Morales, now a senior aide to Senate President Robert Travaglini, will join the governor’s staff as Senior Advisor, reporting to the Governor and Chief of Staff Joan Wallace-Benjamin. Morales will advise on policy and strategic planning, in collaboration with the Governor’s entire team.
Joe Landolfi, a communications specialist who currently works with Secretary of Administration and Finance Leslie Kirwan and has managed the communications needs of several high-profile state agencies, will serve as Senior Communications Advisor to the Governor. He will work with the press team to communicate with the media and the public about the Governor’s initiatives and policies.
“There is a lot of work to be done to deliver on the people’s expectations for change – including a government that is more responsive to their needs,” Governor Patrick said. “These individuals have the skills and experience to help us get there. I look forward to their working with our existing team to implement my ambitious agenda for Massachusetts.”
“David and Joe will help us manage and implement the Governor’s aggressive legislative and fiscal agenda,” said Chief of Staff Joan Wallace-Benjamin. “We look forward to having them on our team.”
In addition, Amy Gorin, chief of staff to the First Lady, has resigned.
“At this time, I want to be as helpful as I can to Diane as a friend and I feel that I can best accomplish that outside of the Executive Office,” she said.
“On both a personal and professional level, I appreciate Amy’s service. She will continue to be a valued advisor and friend to me and Diane,” Governor Patrick said.
Will he be the consigliere that so many on here have said they thought the Gov needed? The guy who has been on the inside for a while and knows the building?
Maybe now the Globe will shut up stop this endless parade of stories on trivial innuendo and report the important stuff…
sorry, this wasn’t front paged when I began typing a post:
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“I feel bad for Amy and for Diane. They are obviously friends, and I think it was good that Diane had someone she trusted and felt comfortable with as her assistant.
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It disgusts me that the media will now proudly proclaim there was an issue with this to begin with. There wasn’t. I wish Amy had not made the decision to resign because her services as a friend and confidant will be needed when Diane returns to the insanity that is politics in MA.”
paid for by the government. I have many friends. The last time I checked they weren’t receiving checks from the Commonwealth to be my friend.
So I read the endless diary about not responding to (insert derogatory, inflammatory adjective here) and how not to respond to (it is not acceptable to use the word ass in postings — so insert another deragotary adjective here).
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Some people think they have friends. If they have to use the phrase “I have many friend”, they are probably trying to sell a concept that they are not quite so sure about. Almost feel sorry, but not quite.
I just thought of the word that I was thinking of:
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pathetic.
when I read your response. That you actually thought we should be paying for someone with the title of friend and confidant.
should not be a taxpayer-funded position.
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I work for Cook County in Illinois, one of the largest governments in the country, and am losing my job in three weeks – one of about 2,000 positions being cut to close a projected $500 million FY07 deficit. I’m a policy aide to an elected official, so I really can’t insist that the work I do is vital to the county’s ability to provide services. Far worse are the health workers being cut and the clinics being closed. And through it all, administrative and managerial positions remain untouched.
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If I were to look through the county budget and come across a position titled “Friend and Confidant” to anyone – let alone someone who herself isn’t even on the payroll – I would scream bloody murder, both in my own behalf and in behalf of the people who use the county’s health services. A chief of staff for the First Lady amid a $1.3 billion deficit? That’s insanity in politics.
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Jeremy
but seriously, hers was a classic “i;ve been asked to resign” speech. i guess she could have used the tired “i want to spend more time with my family”, but they clearly chose to leave the impression that it was all mutually agreed upon and no one was forced to resign. and who knows, maybe that was really the case. is that so bad?
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sorry to hear you’re losing your job like that. that does suck, big time. as fr the managers not boing touched, well someone has to watch over the empty cubicles, don’t they?! đŸ˜‰
The media needs to get real. Nearly every governor’s spouse in the country has staff, some actually have several. And, I can assure you that those who don’t have staff clearly stated in the job title, have access to staff within the governor’s office. The demands placed on a governor’s spouse are immense, considering they don’t get paid. They get dozens, and in some cases, hundreds of requests each month, and the expectation is that they will say “yes” to these because it’s part of their “official duties.” If the First Lady publicly said she wasn’t going to accept any requests, the media would rail on her because she’d be shunning her “official duties.”
Landolfi will be an asset. Worked in the R administrations. Patrick still needs to add more gravitas to his staff though. Cripe the COS headed up a non-profit!!! He’s paying the price now. Heck even Dukakis had Sasso to keep things in line. As for Morales, he should be COS simply because he knows the territory.
Pass a decent budget, Governor Patrick, and these two months will be relegated as rookie mistakes.
Bush seems to make few decisions himself. Those he has made like nominating Harriet Miers and hiring Alberto Gonzales kind of have the flavor of “Hey, I’m in charge! Now I can get my fraternity brothers really cool jobs.” Patrick’s choices for chief of staff and communications director have a similarly stupid thinking to them.
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Nancy Fernandes Mills? She was a news reporter, and she created a website. She has a nice resume, but she doesn’t know anything about politics. Policy, maybe, but that’s not reality.
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Joan Wallace-Benjamin? As is pointed out above, she ran non-profit organizations. Her previous work may have been tangentially related to politics, but chief of staff?
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These choices were embarrassing.
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I have been a huge Patrick supporter, but his mistakes have been so egregiously incompetent, he’s used up any good will I had left. Whatever goodwill he gets from me now will have to be earned.
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It’s highly questionable whether he’ll recover his stature. He will have to work miracles to regain it.
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Unlike Bush, Patricks’s not an ideologue, governed by his former running mate, and the Prince of Lies. He means well, but that is far from enough.
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Mark
It’s all about the budget and Patrick’s attempt to wrest some control of government from the legislature. If he gets the local options tax or the courts consolidation or eliminates some of the line items, then we are looking at a very different four years.
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For all the distraction in the media about cars and drapes and assistants (the call was more important), there is a brawl going on on Beacon Hill. It’s about the future of the state and especially state government. If Patrick wins or at least begins to gain ground on the legislature’s ownership of government, then we can start to talk about progress and accountability and outcomes. Massachusetts can become a leader again in so many areas of public policy. And not to say that Patrick will lead us there, just that the governorship will again have a place in the long-term leadership of the state.
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As Keller and Wangsness and Philips and Bernstein focus on the easy stuff (where will Trav go?, how much were those drapes?, was Diane Patrick admitted???, who much is Sen. Walsh’s husband’s pension?) the real battle is raging under their noses. It’s not easily communicated in a headline and it’s a tough story to cover (it actually requires a couple days of focused attention – not possible with Boston’s media), but it will have a significant impact on the lives of Mass residents.
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It’s all about the budget.