Key Staff Changes in Paterson Administration: Kauffmann, Sefl, Greenberg and Quinlan

David Paterson is making key staff changes today.

According to a source with knowledge of the hires, former Hillary Clinton spokesman (and post-9/11 Navy veteran, and current Glover Park employee) Peter Kauffmann is coming in as the new communications director.

Tracy Sefl, another former Clinton adviser, who recently joined the D.C.-based consulting firm Navigators Global, will come on, independently of her firm, as the communications adviser to the campaign. Stan Greenberg and Al Quinlan will be the new campaign pollsters. This news comes one day after Paterson received his lowest poll numbers to date and his consulting firm, Global Strategy Group, resigned.

The new staff joins an administration and re-election effort in deep dysfunction. And the new hires come shortly after Charles O'Byrne urged David Paterson in a private conversation to make wholesale house cleaning changes to his staff. O'Byrne himself declined an offer to come back as chief of staff.