Michellene Davis

There's some specualtion that Gov. Jon Corzine will name Jaimee Gilmartin, a veteran Democratic operative and former aide to Richard Codey, as his new Appointments Counsel.  Does that mean Michellene Davis is out, or is she getting Brad Abelow's job as Chief of Staff?

There’s some buzz from the front office that Lisa Jackson, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, could wind up as Governor Jon Corzine’s new Chief of Staff.    Bradley Abelow is expected to leave after the budget is passed, and sources say that Michellene Davis, Corzine’s Appointments Counsel, is also a possible candidate for the top staff post.

If Michellene Davis becomes Governor Jon Corzine's next Chief of Staff, it won't bode well for Edward McBride, who has served as Corzine's Chief Counsel since Ken Zimmerman left earlier this year.  A Davis appointment would mean that Corzine effectively passed over McBride for a promotion and picked someone who is several runs below the Counsel on the organization chart.  Other Chief Counsels, like Stuart Rabner, Mike Torpey, Cary Edwards and Edward McGlynn, have been promoted up. 

Sources 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.

New Jersey has not had a State Treasurer since September, when Bradley Abelow left to become the Chief of Staff to Governor Jon Corzine, and there are no indications that the post will be filled anytime soon. Abelow, who was Corzine’s partner at Goldman Sachs, still maintains control over the Treasury Department, and doesn’t seem inclined to relinquish his old post.