Jindal staff shake-up announced

In two weeks, Gov. Bobby Jindal will have a new budget advisor and a new chief of staff.

The governor’s chief of staff, Stephen Waguespack, announced his resignation Monday, severing career ties with the governor that began during the 2007 campaign.

“From the beginning of our work to build a better Louisiana, Stephen has been by my side as a trusted advisor and a friend. He helped shepherd through monumental policy reforms that will have a lasting and positive impact on our state,” the governor said in a prepared statement.

Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater will replace Waguespack on Oct. 14.

Replacing Rainwater will be the governor’s deputy chief of staff, Kristy Nichols.

Both Rainwater and Nichols have held different jobs within the Jindal administration.

Rainwater was executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which oversaw the spending of 2005 hurricane dollars, before becoming the governor’s deputy chief of staff. As commissioner, he was Jindal’s budget advisor.

Nichols worked as a policy advisor before serving as secretary of the state Department of Children and Family Services for more than a year.

Comments

1) Comment by brguy - 02/10/2012

Can anyone shed light on the lies of Kristy Nichols? I know firsthand that she's been riding on Jindal's coattails since before her days at DCFS.

2) Comment by brguy - 02/10/2012

Jeff Adelson on nola.com did contact Mr. Waguespack and his report fills in the gaps that are missing in the Advocate's article: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/10/jindal_chief_of_staff_waguespa.html I find the Advocate's reporting to be shallow and requires the reader to "fill in the blanks", while the TP is much more in-depth and "tells it like it is".

3) Comment by Traveler - 02/10/2012

Perhaps Mr. Waguespack is being recognized for his cleverness by being given a better-paying job elsewhere. Or perhaps he and his boss have had a falling out.... I'd still like to know how the writer of the article can call herself a reporter and not ask the obvious question.

4) Comment by Kate - 02/10/2012

So, why did Waguespack resign? Has he jumped on the o'momma wagon? SMH

5) Comment by timesright - 02/10/2012

Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? The five Ws and H. These were the first rules and guidelines of my high school journalism classes. BTW our high school paper took all kinds of honors for news coverage. Obviously, our reporters learned what to find out. Have the reporters for the Advocate forgotten some of those key lessons? There are too many questions unanswered in this, yet, another news breaking story from the fourth floor. There are concerned citizens among the Advocate readers. Let's get the complete story!!!!

6) Comment by Get Real - 02/10/2012

Well this is what the good people of Louisiana want...they saw what Jindal was doing in his first term and they voted him for a second so what is the problem?

7) Comment by spqr - 02/10/2012

The Advocate always misses the biggest question. They rail against the good-ole- boys, but fail to acknowledge they are a charter member.

8) Comment by Traveler - 02/10/2012

Where did this Advocate reporter go to journalism school?! How do you get a job as a reporter for the biggest newspaper in the state, when you don't look for "the story behind the story"?! This reporter should have immediately followed up the announcement from the governor's office with a call to Mr. Waguespack, asking for a statement as to the reason for his resignation. One would not expect any big revelations there, but it should have been done. Then, the real work of investigative journalism could have begun. A high school freshman working on a high school newspaper could have written this article----Advocate readers have a right to expect more from the so-called "professional journalists."

9) Comment by tball - 02/10/2012

Isn't she first cousin to Monica Lewensky???

10) Comment by ShotgunPeteLSU - 02/10/2012

1) she isnt qualified 2) she demonstrated poor character by getting caught lying. 3) these people seem to have wealthy lifestyles off of the political spoils system in Louisiana.

11) Comment by Warp7 - 01/10/2012

Yes she is the one that Spent $20 million on tents during a Disaster Food stamp Program and millions of dollars to put her mark on the department of Children and Family Services! Nice going Phyish!

12) Comment by for real - 01/10/2012

She was Jindal's hatchet person at Department of Children and Family Services before her current position which is as far as I can tell is technically “THE LYING MOUTHPIECE" for Phyish. Those are her exorcism beads, to exorcize all those evil sprits working at DOA.”.

13) Comment by monsignor - 01/10/2012

I like her Mardi Gras beads.

14) Comment by danielf - 01/10/2012

Hasnt she been caught flat-out LYING while testifying before the legislature? Has this woman ever worked as anything other than a political appointee?