Malloy Names New Chief of Staff

Governor Dannel Malloy has announced a new chief of staff.  As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, Mark Ojakian will start the job in January.

 

Ojakian will take the place of Tim Bannon, who Malloy says is leaving as planned after a year on the job.  Ojakian was the governor's point person in labor negotiations.

 

"His work negotiating with the state employees union was critical to our plans to reinvent Connecticut state government and even more critical to our budget plans. And while it was a bruising and often frustrating endeavor, in the end, we got what we needed. And in large part we got what we needed because of his superior skills."

 

Malloy says one of those skills proved especially useful. 

 

"Well, he's got a lot more patience than I do -- probably is the best way to put it."

 

Ojakian, known as O.J., served 16 years as deputy state comptroller under then Comptroller Nancy Wyman - now the lieutenant governor.  In the city of Hartford, he also served as the chair of the Hartford Housing Authority -- and helped steer the agency out of allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

 

Malloy said Ojakian was the person he wanted for the job. That said, it was pointed out that Ojakian --  unlike many of Malloy's advisors -- is not a friend from Fairfield County.  He lives in West Hartford.

 

"O.J. is way outside my comfort zone.  He doesn't even come from Stamford."

 

For his part, Ojakian thanked his current and former bosses, and he thanked his husband in advance...

 

"...for the support the's going to give me through the next few years.  So, it was nice to see you today.  And, as the governor said, good luck."

 

One note -- as patient a negotiator as Ojakian may be, he apparently has a harder edge, too.  The Connecticut Post recently reported that Ojakian was handling talks  about oversight of the state's community colleges and universities.  In those talks, Ojakian reportedly made a state legislator cry.

 

For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.