NY Observer > Golan Cipel http://www.observer.com/taxonomy/term/27250/feed Articles from Observer.com en New Security Czar? http://www.observer.com/node/31020 balboni-condi-pataki-222.JPG

A very knowledgeable reader called in to tell me that Eliot Spitzer is expected to announce the appointment of state Senator Michael Balboni as head of ....

I'm waiting to hear back from Balboni, but my source said it's a done deal.

Appointing a Republican to such a high-profile post would obviously be a big statement by the incoming governor, who repeatedly promised set aside partisan differences during his reformist campaign. And while Balboni is no technocrat, his qualifications for the post definitely look better than, say, Golan Cipel's. He heads the senate committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs.

But the move is interesting, as well, from the perspective of raw politics. Appointing Balboni would open up a state senate seat that Democrats could pick up. In Nassau's 7th District, Balboni won re-election pretty easily this year, but the voter registration in the district runs Democratic by a couple thousand. One more Democratic pickup in the Senate might make Spitzer's homeland in Albany just a little more secure.

More info, anybody?

-- Azi Paybarah]]> http://www.observer.com/node/31020#comments Politics Albany Eliot Spitzer Golan Cipel Nassau Tue, 26 Dec 2006 07:32:21 -0500 Observer Staff 31020 at http://www.observer.com The Second Time Around, It Doesn’t Seem So Brave http://www.observer.com/node/39469 By the time former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey took the podium to make his spectacular resig  read more »]]> http://www.observer.com/node/39469#comments Politics Golan Cipel HarperCollins Publishers Inc. Jim McGreevey New Jersey Sun, 24 Sep 2006 20:00:00 -0400 Josh Benson 39469 at http://www.observer.com Jersey Big Shots Second-Guessing Port Appointee http://www.observer.com/node/46963 Even as New Jersey Governor James E.  read more »]]> http://www.observer.com/node/46963#comments Charles Kushner Golan Cipel Murray Kushner New Jersey Sun, 12 Jan 2003 19:00:00 -0500 Tom McGeveran 46963 at http://www.observer.com