Changes are coming to Deval Patrick’s cabinet. It looks like there are some pretty major changes coming.
Jay Gonzalez of A&F is very highly thought of by people who know him and have worked for him. Glen Shor is the replacement.
Judy Ann Bigby will be leaving and John Polanowicz will be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. I know John from Democratic politics in my ‘hood here in the Boroughs. His wife, Kathleen Polanowcz, is the District Director for Congressman Jim McGovern. They are both first class people.
According to the article, “Patrick plans to name Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral to succeed state Public Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan. Slotting Cabral for the state post would enable Patrick to name an acting sheriff to serve until the next sheriff’s election in 2016.” My dealings with Sheriff Cabral have always been very positive.
Education Secretary Paul Reville is also stepping down, according to the article.
…or are state cabinet positions filled usually by unknowns who frankly stay unknown, at least compared to the federal cabinet? The only person mentioned in this diary whose name I instantly recognize is Sheriff Cabral. Is it less of a habit at the state level to appoint those already in the public eye? Even after appointment I can’t seem to ever name the cabinet secretaries at the state level whereas I can generally name some of the President’s cabinet.
Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy to fill Suffolk County Sheriff’s position.
he certainly can’t win his coveted position in an actual election.
It’s not as if Cabral didn’t originally get the position by appointment…. Oh, wait….
she wasn’t appointed. I was commenting on the fact that Murph runs for pretty much any office other than city council without any success.
Cabral was initially appointed by Governor Romney when Rouse stepped down. She was originally a Republican, then switched to Democratic when she had to run in 2004 to retain the seat.
Any word on why Revile is leaving or where he is going? Maybe the post will not be filled. After all, Reville was against creating the position before he held it:
“”The commonwealth has tried an education secretariat twice in recent decades and in both cases, the experience has been so negative that the Legislature has chosen to abolish the position,” he said then. “Why go down this road again?”
It would behoove the Governor to replace the lack luster Sec. Economic Development Bialecki whose track record is dismal.
Dr. Bigby seemed like a stellar choice and yet she has had little presence across the state (maybe even “in” the state). The commissioner of public health took all the heat for the pharmaceutical disaster and Bigby should have been implicated as part of the problem or shown that she is part of the solution.
was the first campaign I ever volunteered for. I also led to Matt O’Malley for City Council. Occasionally, I have channel serfed into her public access show and I hope this is a positive step for her. And while I suspect she would never challenge Menino, if the seat became open, I think she would like to run for Mayor. I wish her all the best in this move. Sniff
If I could have one wish for Christmas, it would be that we can edit our own comments.
the guy’s been run out of Brockton as Superintendent, and was despised in Swampscott before that.
I seriously don’t understand the choice, and it’s hard to come up with a more prominent candidate who so utterly despises teachers and teachers unions.
Wow….