Staff Changes Bring a 'Clintonian Flavor into Paterson Camp'

Governor Paterson continues to replace staff members in rapid succession with hopes that putting a new face on his administration will keep voters from replacing him next year. With Charles O'Byrne back in the fold, it's no shock that one of his replacements upon resigning last fall, Bill Cunningham, has been told to hit the bricks. A Paterson adviser told Newsday, "Cunningham is a very nice guy. Everyone liked him—everyone. He was just in over his head." He will be replaced as secretary by Larry Schwartz, a political vet from Westchester who recently joined the administration. Assemblyman Richard Brodsky said, "He's going to provide a decisive core to an operation that has needed it." Paterson also announced the appointment of two former Clinton aides, Peter Kauffmann as director of communications and Tracy Sefl as a media consultant. One political consultant told the Times, “It’s a team to be reckoned with, for the first time since David took over.”