Another name has surfaced for the Cabinet.

Raleigh insiders say Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue will name Linda S. Millsaps secretary of the N.C. Department of Revenue, a key behind the scenes position that keeps tabs on state taxes.

Millsaps currently works as assistant secretary in charge of tax administration. She previously worked in the General Assembly's Fiscal Research Division, the former home of another Perdue pick, legislative liaison Andy Willis.

Earlier this month, Secretary Reginald Hinton said that he would step down on Dec. 31. 

What will happen to members of Gov. Mike Easley's Cabinet?

As the two-term governor prepares to leave office in January, at least six of his top appointees have already said they will do the same, while others may be hoping to stay under Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue.

Here's the current rundown on their plans (question marks indicate decisions are not official):

Britt Cobb, Administration: Stepping down
Jim Fain, Commerce: Stepping down
Theodis Beck, Correction: Retiring
Bryan Beatty, Crime Control: Moving to Correction?
Libba Evans, Cultural Resources: On leave already
Bill Ross, Environment and Natural Resources: Hoping to stay?
Dempsey Benton, Health and Human Services: Stepping down
George Sweat, Juvenile Justice: Retiring
Reginald Hinton, Revenue: Retiring
Lyndo Tippett, Transportation: Hoping to stay?

We've put the question to each of the secretaries and will update this post as we get more definitive answers on the remaining holdouts.

As always, e-mail any tips, gossip and unsubstantiated rumors to dome@newsobserver.com.

Reginald Hinton will not return in the next administration.

The secretary of Revenue told staff in an e-mail today that he will retire at the end of the year.

"After much deliberation, I have decided to retire from the Department, effective January 1, 2009, and have informed Governor-Elect Perdue's transition representative of my decision," he writes in the e-mail. "Because of my deep affection for all employees in this agency, I wanted you to hear of my decision directly from me."

After an earlier inquiry, Hinton was unclear on whether he was seeking a position in the Cabinet of Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue. 

Among members of Gov. Mike Easley's Cabinet, that leaves only Crime Control Secretary Bryan Beatty, Environment Secretary Bill Ross and Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett as those have not said yet that they are leaving.

Full text of the e-mail after the jump.

   Comments (1)

How diverse will Beverly Perdue's Cabinet be?

As the governor-elect makes her decisions about the top 10 appointments to her administration, many observers will be looking at its diversity.

Gov. Mike Easley's original Cabinet from 2001 was described at the time by an N&O reporter as "perhaps the most diverse Cabinet in North Carolina history."

That group of 10 included three women (Administration Secretary Gwynn Swinson, Cultural Resources Secretary Libba Evans and Health and Human Services Secretary Carmen Hooker Buell) and three black appointees (Swinson, Correction Secretary Theodis Beck and Crime Control Secretary Bryan Beatty).

Only five appointees were white men.

After a handful of personnel changes, Easley's Cabinet became a little less diverse by the end of his second term. It now has one woman (Evans) and three black appointees (Beck, Beatty and Revenue Secretary Reginald Hinton).

Six appointees are now white men.

As the first female governor, Perdue may face higher expectations for the number of female appointees, although her campaign team had fewer women than primary rival Richard Moore's. After criticism of the lack of diversity on her transition team, she added new members.

Reginald Hinton also gave an ambiguous answer.

As part of Dome's survey of the members of Gov. Mike Easley's Cabinet, we asked a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Revenue to ask Hinton what his plans are — specifically, whether he would like to stick around under Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue.

"Those decisions will be made by Gov.-elect Perdue," he said through a spokeswoman.

Hinton had not been on Dome's radar as a potential reappointment. Crime Control Secretary Bryan Beatty may move to another position, while Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Bill Ross may be hoping to stay.

Both Ross and Beatty also gave ambiguous answers when asked by Dome, unlike other Cabinet members who gave definite answers.

Hinton is one of the newest members of Easley's Cabinet. He was appointed in June of 2007 as a replacement for Norris Tolson.

The Revenue Secretary oversees state tax collection and the administration and enforcement of tax laws. It is one of the older positions in the Cabinet and is crucial to keeping state government running, though it's one of the least glamourous jobs in the administration.