Tuesday, February 21, 2006
SPIN-MANN DEPARTS
TIMES PICAYUNE
By Jan Moller
Capital bureau
(excerpt)
BATON ROUGE -- Bob Mann, an author and veteran adviser to Louisiana Democrats, is stepping down as Gov. Kathleen Blanco's communications director later this year to join the communications faculty at Louisiana State University.
Mann, 47, has accepted an endowed chair at LSU's Manship School of Communications, where he will concentrate on teaching, writing, "and other kinds of service things," Dean John Maxwell Hamilton said. The position begins July 1, and Mann said he plans to remain in his current job through June 19, the end of the regular session of the Legislature.
After 17 years as press secretary and state director for former U.S. Sen. John Breaux, D-La., Mann joined Blanco's staff late in her 2003 gubernatorial campaign against Republican Bobby Jindal. He joined the staff permanently in 2004 when Blanco became governor.
The appointment lasts for two years, and Mann's salary has not yet been negotiated. "It'll be considerably less than what I'm making here," he said. His current salary is $118,000 per year.
LPNS COMMENTARY: SPIN MAN FOR BLANCO, WHAT A GREAT JOB! WHO WOULD WANT TO GIVE THAT UP?
REMEMBER THIS PRE-KATRINA EMAIL PLOT?:
"One thought is to try to masquerade as some sort of anonymous non-partisan do-gooder group. That just won’t pass the smell test, especially after two or three months of consistently talking smack about Republicans and talking sweet about Democratic policy and never whacking a Democrat. The point is, we’re going to have to come up with some kind of story about who’s doing the site and why. A plausible story in which the posters have a believable reason for wanting to remain anonymous."
BOB IS THE FIRST OF MANY PREMATURE DEPARTURES FROM THE FOURTH FLOOR.
