Hester joins Assembly Democratic staff
By EditorAssembly Speaker Joseph has picked Tom Hester, Jr., a veteran state house reporter, to serve as the new Associate Executive Director for Communications in the Assembly Majority Office. Hester replaces Mike Muller, who left this month to run the coordinated Democratic campaign. Hester has covered the Legislature and the Governor’s office for the Associated Press and the Trenton Times, and worked for the Express Times and the Hunterdon County Democrat. His father, Tom Hester, Sr., was also a well-known statehouse reporter.
As associate executive director for communications, Hester will oversee the daily operations of the Assembly Majority Office’s press department and will be responsible for formulating and executing caucus-wide media strategies.
“Tom is a professional whose even-handed reporting style has earned him a great reputation and enormous respect from the Assembly Democratic caucus,” Roberts said. “As a reporter, Tom has shown a natural ability to dissect legislation and convey its true meaning in simple terms. That knack for making policy accessible and easy-to-understand will serve our caucus well as we seek to tackle some of the state’s most-vexing issues.”
“From his days covering local issues at The Times to his current position at the AP, I have always known Tom as a reporter who wanted to make sure people knew the full story,” said Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman. “It is his attention to the little things that make a big difference which is so important.”
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Syndicate
the revolving door
Wally has a list of people who have made similar moves, which I'm sure he'll update accordingly...
Let's See the List
Every NJ reporter that has switched over to a political job in recent years always seems to go over to the Democratic side. Sort of makes you wonder about the reporting that goes on in this state.
Hester's a straight up guy
I found his reporting to be fair and balanced as I did, for the most part, with Debbie Howlett or David Wald. Other than Ralph Siegel I've found that most of the reporters who've jumped to take jobs in government that pay two or three times what they currently earn are the better ones, Siegel being the lone exception.
I've also found Jeff Whelan, who jumped from the other side to the media side, to be a straight up reporter who keeps his views out of his writing. And Whelan was perhaps the most vicious, hard-nosed political press operative I've ever worked against.
The real problem, as I see it, is what these people are going to do in 2010 when Corzine is no longer Governor and Roberts and his gang are no longer in the Assembly Majority. They're betting on the continued NJGOP incompetence but those days will be coming to an end soon.
My bet in on the
coninued GOP incompetence. The state GOP, let by Mr. MENSA Tom Wilson, can't even turn the Dems propensity to land in corrupt waters of late to their best advantage. Go get 'em Hester. Gas and Bread cost money! Go chase the dollars!