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.
Blog RSS feed
Re: Perdue names team, sets date
Hey Bev, I'm going to be your new bestest buddy. I'm going to watch every political move you make. I know you're going to fix the corruption with the DOT and in the governor's office, because you said you were and we all know that you and your administration are going to want to be held accountable and you want everything to be above board.
We're going to help you with that accountability and if we see any shadyness, then we are here to ensure it will be fully exposed from now to the end of your administration.
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/