Zach Ambrose

Perdue expands transition team

markjohnson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:06:58 -0500

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue named a group of women and African-Americans to her transition leadership after being stung by criticism that her first appointments lacked diversity.

She added:

Howard Lee, chair of the state school board and former senator
Valeria Lee, vice chair of the Rural Economic Development Center and past president of the Golden Leaf Foundation
Linda Carlisle, retired founding president of Copier Consultants and former Bank of America vice president
Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, chair of the State Board of Community Colleges and a vice president at Progress Energy

Howard Lee, Valeria Lee (who is not related) and Pinnix-Ragland are black.

The new appointments followed criticism last week from Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, that Perdue's first three appointments were of politically-connected white men. She initially named three transition leaders: Zach Ambrose, Perdue's campaign manager and former chief of staff in the lieutenant governor's office; Don Hobart, her current chief of staff, and Norris Tolson, former secretary of revenue and former secretary of transportation.

Ambrose defended girls in '96 letter

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:21:51 -0500

Beverly Perdue's new chief of staff is a bit of a feminist.

Long before he managed the campaign of North Carolina's first female governor, Zach Ambrose was defending women in the pages of the News & Observer.

In an Aug. 24, 1996, letter to the editor, Ambrose took issue with a column by R. Whitney Christian, a business department employee who was subbing for regular columnist Barry Saunders.

In the column, Christian complained of "political correctness" on his grandson's T-ball team, which was required to have at least two girls on it. In response, Ambrose said Christian should stick to his day job, arguing that an all-boy team would not necessarily be better.

"I try to instill in my young daughter that she is a talented and capable person, not a talented and capable girl," he wrote.

At the time, Ambrose was not yet involved in politics. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he was an at-home father while his wife finished a graduate degree.

The full letter after the jump.

Ambrose will be Perdue's chief of staff

bniolet — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:10:48 -0500

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue has picked her campaign manager to run her administration.

Zach Ambrose will be Perdue's chief of staff, she announced Tuesday.

Ambrose was chief of staff to then- Lt. Gov. Perdue from 2005 to 2007. He managed her campaign for governor. Perdue also picked Ambrose to help run her transition team.

Ambrose is a North Carolina native who has degrees in electrical engineering and Russian from MIT.

He served five years in the U.S. Navy. He was the director of the N.C. Senate Caucus in 2001.

"Zach Ambrose will be a strong leader for this administration," said Perdue. "His knowledge of the issues facing our state will be a great asset as we move North Carolina forward."

Perdue names team, sets date

markjohnson — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:04:44 -0500

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue named her transition leaders Monday.

Her inauguration has been set for Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009.

Zach Ambrose, her campaign manager and former chief of staff; Don Hobart, her current chief of staff, and former N.C. Secretary of Revenue Norris Tolson will hold equal rank in the transition.

Ambrose is a veteran political operator, MIT grad and Navy veteran who is an odds on favorite to serve as chief of staff in the new administration. He ran the lieutenant governor's office from 2005 to 2007 and previously ran the state Democratic Party's campaign operations to support state senators.

Hobart succeeded Ambrose as chief of staff in the lieutenant governor's office. He has served as the top lobbyist and lawyer for the Department of Commerce and as legal counsel to then-Attorney General Mike Easley. He's a likely contender to serve as Perdue's deputy chief of staff or legal counsel.

Tolson now heads the N.C. Biotechnology Center but previously served, at different times, as secretary of Commerce, Transportation and, most recently, Revenue. He may want to complete the set and add another cabinet secretary's job to his resume.

UPDATE: Tolson said he is helping with the transition but has no interest in serving in the new administration, according to Perdue spokesman David Kochman.

Crowd pumped at Perdue event

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:25:21 -0400

While some campaign staffers were already calling the election for Beverly Perdue, Zach Ambrose came on the microphone to announce the Associated Press call for Perdue's victory.

In anticipation of Perdue's victory speech, the music was turned to "Celebrate" and then "Beautiful Day" by U2. Cheering, dancing and cocktails followed.

Cindy Estill, of Raleigh, said the win was "fabulous."

"I love that she's a woman, a strong woman and says what she thinks," she said. "She says a lot about where we need to go."

Brenda Tipton, of Pine Top, said she is excited about Perdue's victory.

"I think she's a go-getter," she said.

Gail Perry, of Raleigh, said she thinks Republican contender Pat McCrory has little chance of defeating Perdue in November.

"She's developed a strong political network across the state," said Perry, a member of the board of Lillian's List. "Her support is broad. It's deep. And she's got Andy Griffith."

Finding green on 'scorched earth'?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:58:58 -0400

Beverly Perdue hopes to raise some green off of "scorched earth."

The lieutenant governor's campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination has sent out an e-mail trying to raise money to fight state Treasurer Richard Moore's recent attacks on her record.

In recent weeks, Moore's campaign has gone on the offense over Perdue's resume, an endorsement from the N.C. Association of Educators and transportation funding. (He's also gone after her pro-choice credentials, though the e-mail doesn't mention it.)

In the e-mail, Campaign Manager Zach Ambrose says he's out of line:

It's sad that Richard Moore thinks that this is the only way he can win. We will not sit back and let him get away with it. More importantly, North Carolina's Democrats won't let that kind of smear campaign work in a Democratic primary.

He also asks for $50, $250 or $500 contributions.

Perdue's campaign manager

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:31:53 -0400

Beverly Perdue's campaign manager grew up in Wake County.

Zach Ambrose was raised in Garner and Raleigh and graduated from Enloe High School in 1986. He then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning degrees in electrical engineering and Russian.

After graduation, he spent five years in the U.S. Navy, serving most of that time on the USS Halyburton, a guided missile frigate.

Ambrose has previously served as director of the state Senate Caucus in the 2002 and 2004 elections. He worked as Perdue's chief of staff from 2005 to 2007. Last week, Perdue announced he would head up her campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

His wife, Jill, is a pediatrician, and they have two young children, Catherine and John.

Eight Ball: 7-for-9

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:21:38 -0400

The Eight Ball picks up two points, and a contender moves into the running.

Earlier this afternoon, the magic toy from Target correctly agreed with The Raleigh Soup that Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's chief of staff, Zach Ambrose, would become her campaign manager, and that N.C. Department of Commerce official Don Hobart would replace Ambrose.

In a release sent not long afterward, Perdue's office confirmed both.

Ambrose has already stepped down from his position as chief of staff, which paid $110,970 a year.

Hobart, a native of Johnson County, has worked for then Attorney General Mike Easley, U.S. Rep. David Price and former Gov. Jim Hunt. He'll start Sept. 24.

The current standings: Eight Ball 7-for-9; Raleigh Soup 2-for-2; N.C. Spin 1-for-3; TechJournal South, N.C. Policy Watch, Speaker Joe Hackney and the Whiteville News Reporter 1-for-1.

Eight Ball: Perdue's manager

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:19:13 -0400

Today, the Magic Eight Ball takes on a new contender.

The Raleigh Soup, a snarky stew of gossip and scuttlebutt, claims that "rumor in the City of Oaks" is that Don Hobart, director of governmental and legal affairs for the N.C. Department of Commerce, will soon take a new job as chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.

The reason? To allow current chief of staff Zach Ambrose to become Perdue's campaign manager. (Previously: Perdue is one of three campaigns without a manager.)

We've divided this into two parts. 1. Will Don Hobart become chief of staff for Perdue? The Eight Ball: Yes, definitely. 2. Will Zach Ambrose become her campaign manager? Yes.

We'll check back when someone from Perdue's office returns our calls.