Budget chief quits for lobby job

Casey Seiler

Apr. 23, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- ALBANY -- Budget Director Laura Anglin, one of Gov. David Paterson's closest advisers during the recent budget crisis, will leave state service to take over as the head of the Commission on Independent Colleges.

Anglin, who was appointed budget director by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer in January 2008, will take over the CICU job from outgoing President Abraham Lackman on July 16. Anglin's appointment was made Wednesday in New York City by a unanimous vote of the trustees of CICU, which represents the leaders of more than 100 private, not-for-profit colleges and universities.

Anglin's decision to stay on as budget director for almost three more months suggests she could play a significant role if midyear cuts need to be made to the state budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Paterson and others have acknowledged budget tweaks will be needed if economic conditions fail to rebound in coming months.

If Paterson decides to promote from within the administration, a short list of Anglin's potential successors would likely include State Tax Commissioner Robert Megna and Deputy Director of State Operations Kristin Proud.

"Laura Anglin is a consummate professional and true public servant who has been an invaluable adviser to me and my administration during a time of extraordinary fiscal upheaval," Paterson said in a statement. "Her sage advice and fiscal acumen have helped guide the state through uncharted waters."

In the same release, Anglin handed praise back to the governor: "Through his leadership, New York has enacted serious and lasting reforms that position New York state government well to address the challenges that lie ahead."

New York University President John Sexton, who serves as the chair of CICU's Board of Trustees and its presidential search committee, issued his own release calling Anglin "a talented and skilled professional with ... a deep knowledge of the state's budget process, and an appreciation of how to advance policies through consensus building and broad outreach to many constituencies."

Anglin's departure comes less than three weeks after the end of an often bruising budget process that was roundly criticized as the epitome of "three men in a room" negotiations despite the fact that, this time around, all of the men involved -- Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver -- were Democrats.

Anglin's exit might be the most high-profile loss in a series of recent departures from the Paterson administration, which has seen its poll numbers nose-dive since the beginning of 2009.

In the past six months, Paterson has bid farewell to top aide Charles O'Byrne, Deputy Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Carl Andrews, First Deputy Jonathan Cohen, Director of Communications Risa Heller, and O'Byrne's replacement William Cunningham (who continues to serve the administration in a different position).

Anglin made an annual salary of $178,000 in 2008 as budget director, according to payroll data. Lackman receives at least $280,605 a year as CICU's top lobbyist, according to the most recent available tax records. She will have to register as a lobbyist, a step the CICU expects her to take this fall.

Casey Seiler can be reached at 454-5619 or cseiler@timesunion.com. Staff writer James M. Odato contributed to this story.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0007-34346778