Photo: NYSSenate20.com
Where will Eliot Spitzer find a desk for Carl Andrews?
A close ally of convicted party boss Clarence Norman and longtime operative inside Brooklyn’s Dem machine, Andrews, who served as a state senator before losing that hotly contested congressional bid last year, is up for at least two high-ranking positions in Spitzer’s new administration, sources say. (And neither has the wimpy-sounding title of “community liaison,” as the Post reported just before the New Year.)
One of the gigs under consideration for Andrews is among the biggest in the state: Spitzer’s director of operations, which supervises the state’s sprawling bureaucracy. The Spitzer team has yet to fill that key position, though candidates from across the country — and many from Bill Clinton’s former White House staff — have been considered. But the more likely detail for Andrews, the sources say, will be as Spitzer’s liaison to New York City, running the governor’s inter-governmental affairs office here. This position, which pays about $150,000 a year, is similar to what Andrews did for Spitzer when he was attorney general. The duties here include power-breakfasting with local officials and executing Spitzer’s legislative agenda; it’s a good fit for a street-smart, think-on-your-feet pol.
Expect a formal announcement, whatever it is, later this week. —Geoffrey Gray
