The announcement today that Javier Inclan has resigned his post means that Governor Jon Corzine is in the market for a new Deputy Chief of Staff. If Corzine moves to fill this post with his usual speed , then the job will be open for a while. But if Corzine decides to fast track – and if you believe that in Corzineland, the Governor is likely to name another minority (his Chief of Staff, Chief Counsel, and his two other Deputy COS’s are white), here’s a short list of potential candidates: Assistant Counsel Annette Quijano; Alberto Alvarez and Laura Matos, who work in the Governor’s office; Cabinet Liaison Larry Lewis; and Troy Singleton, a former Deputy Executive Director of the State Assembly and now a top aide to Carptenter’s Union leader Frank Spencer.
Not on the list: Michellene Davis, the Governor's Appointments Counsel. Many legislators and Democratic leaders — even the ones who like Corzine — have been complaining about the appointments process. (Look for Christine Lewis, Davis' deputy, to be gone soon.)
A longshot candidate – but one who would receive kudos from Democratic party leaders – is Corzine’s favorite cabinet member, Kris Kolluri, the Commissioner of Transportation. But would it be viewed as a step down for Kolluri to go from the cabinet to Deputy COS? One insider said that Corzine could opt to name his best friend and ex-Goldman Sachs partner, Dan Neidich. Because adding another Goldman Sachs white guy defy conventional wisdom, then the possibility of just that happening in Corzineland is entirely plausible.
