June 17, 2008 - 6:00am
Is Michellene Davis succeeding Brad Abelow?
By Wally EdgeSources close to Governor Jon Corzine suggest that his embattled Appointments Counsel, Michellene Davis, has emerged as a leading candidate to become his Chief of Staff when Brad Abelow departs after the adoption of a state budget. The Governor’s appointments process under Davis has been severely criticized by legislators of both parties and by Democratic County Chairmen, and there had been some speculation in recent months that Davis would be dropped from her current post.
If Corzine does name Davis, expect some criticism from Democrats that she would be the wrong choice to serve as his election year Chief of Staff, a post held in the past by veterans more seasoned in the rough and tumble of politics.
Before joining the Governor’s staff, Davis served as Acting State Treasurer, as Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery, and as a senior policy advisor to the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services. Prior to joining state government, she was an Assistant Public Defender in Essex County.
Corzine has still not replaced his Deputy Chief of Staff, Javier Inclan, who resigned following the conviction of Guttenberg Mayor David Della Donna.
Contributors
Wally Edge
Joe Ferriero's recent legal woes -- allegations that he assaulted a woman at a Labor Day barbecue at his home, and a federal probe of a grants ... >
Bob Torricelli
There's something missing from the Republican Convention. There is a need for a camera behind the curtain where speakers greet ... >
Michael Patrick Carroll
Barack Obama offers a hard-left vision for America. He would take NJ's disastrous economic policies national, and the resulting economic ... >
Debbie Holtz
Selecting the next NJN anchor will certainly be a different process than what happens at the major networks, local affiliates and other public ... >
Steve Lonegan
Tibet – the broad, high plateau between India and China – is bigger than Western Europe and the source of the great rivers of Asia: the Indus, ... >
Dr. Joseph Marbach
For the past few weeks, I've watched with fascination as politician after politician have appeared on a beach or a boardwalk and declared their ... >
Rob Tornoe
To view a larger version of this cartoon, click here. >
Michael P. Riccards
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Meet the Press, made a statement that incurred the wrath of members of the Catholic bishops club. She dared to say that ... >
Joey Novick
And now we go back in time, to Mr. Dembo's eighth grade science class and JHS 278, and a sixteen millimeter film about the seasonal migration of ... >
Juan Melli
Poll
is Chris Christie running for Governor?
Yes
54%
No
2%
I don't know
8%
I don't care
37%
PolitickerNJ Partners
SPONSORED BY:
| Politicker INTERACTIVE | |
 |
The Pindell Report Keep up with the races in your state |
 |
Lawmaker Profile Follow the funding of your representatives |
 |
270 to Win Predict the road to the White House |
Top Tags
Most Active Stories
- Ferriero will take leave as Bergen Dem Chairman
- Andrews will seek re-election to House
- The Ballad of Governor Sarah Palin
- Federal court effectively kills NJ clean elections
- Pallone wants Christie to release personal schedules for last two years
- Merkt mulling bid for Governor
- Star-Ledger report: Ferreiro investigated for assault
- Torricelli on the Republican National Convention
- Editorial boards beat the crap out of Andrews
- Christie met with Beck to discuss '09 campaign, Lt. Governor
- Dr. Bones goes to Washington
- PoliticsNJ.com Power List 2007
- DOHERTY: NEW SCIENTIFIC DATA JUSTIFIES REPEALING GLOBAL WARMING RESPONSE ACT
- Eleven arrested in bribery scandal
- Lyndhurst GOP, nearly all of them, switching parties
- Lobbyist arrested
- Governor Paralysis
- Who is the best State Party Chairman in New Jersey
- KYRILLOS, BECK, KEAN & HANDLIN VOW WORK TO KEEP SEASTREAK FERRY UP AND RUNNING
- Torricelli on COAH
Quote of the Day
September 5, 2008
"A bare-faced liar. Rob Andrews lied. Plain and simple." -- A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial on Andrews' decision to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
-Philadelphia Inquirer, 09/05/08
Recent Press Releases
In the News
Read the expanded Wake Up Call, our summary of today’s news media coverage.
Today’s Must Reads:
Politicker Poaches From Politico― News from Politicker.com
Xanadu bill footnote may weigh on Corzine― CHARLES STILE
Zoffinger not one to deny beliefs, avoid controversy― 'Codey's an idiot, and you can print that'
Welcome to New Jersey, Media Wasteland― NEW YORK OBSERVER
Divorce McGreevey style ― ALFRED DOBLIN
The judge got it right ― JAMES AHEARN
Capital Games― HERB JACKSON
Teen will get chance to sue a top N.J. judge ― ROBERTO RIVERA-SOTO
Mayor refusing to apologize for anti-Semitic slur ― WOODCLIFF LAKE
Court decision likely to have far-reaching implications in N.J. ― EMINENT DOMAIN
PolitickerNJ.com Jobs
Syndicate
need an outsider
Corzine needs to bring in an experienced political hand from outside his current administration.
A New Captain for the Titanic?
Mr. Democrat - Who'd want the job? It's a no win...Corzine loses and you lose. Corzine wins and campaign team gets credit. You can't expect someone new to come in and fix 3 years worth of mistakes in a campaign. Corzine needs a COS who will do whatever the campaign brains tell him or her to do.
He needs to look outside
He needs new blood up there
Let the DNC make the rules for choosing Corzine's
Chief of Staff. That's what we need..confusion. Make the county chairs super choosers(D's and R's), congressmen get .8 of a vote(D's and R's), dual officeholders get 1.4 votes, other elected officials get .6 votes, and Gov. Corzine calls Malcolm Gladwell.(blink,blink,blink)...Ms Davis is qualified...It's the Gov's call.
Is Shea the Answer?
According to Wally, it could be Tom Shea again!
Mr. Democrat, that would technically meet the criteria you suggested -- that the person be "an experienced political hand from outside his current administration."
But then, who would run the campaign?
Well, the Governor could bring him back, then allow Tom to take a leave for the duration of the campaign, and in the mean time, he could put someone like a Karen Kominsky in charge in the front office.
All speculation, of course. But one gets the feeling that the Governor may have realized that political operatives, and not Abelow types are better at making things run.
The question is, is it too late? Will he have lost too much support in his own base? Clearly, he had every intention of riding Hillary's pantsuit tails to Washington, D.C., but that is all gone now.
He has to run for a second term now, or essentially drop back a few notches.
At this point, he cannot take a chance on someone new -- I would guess he will go with someone who he believes served him well in the past, and that would be Tom Shea.
by Trochilus
Pizzaro: Ix Nay On Eay Shey
Well, to his credit -- at least for a clear demonstration of some fine survival skills -- Tom Shea has emphatically pulled himself out of consideration as the replacement for his replacement as Chief of Staff.
Credit Max Pizzaro for getting the story. On that same thread, Mr. Democrat asks the right follow-up -- will he run the Governor's re-election campaign?
by Trochilus