Pro-Clinton Cuomo Loses Spokesman To Pro-Obama Union Group

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/04/proclinton-cuomo-loses-spokesm.html

April 7, 2008

AG Andrew Cuomo's communications director, Jeffrey Lerner, is departing to become the political field director for Change to Win, a coalition of labor unions that is actively supporting Barack Obama for president.

An interesting move, since Cuomo, who served as HUD secretary in the Clinton administration, is backing Hillary Clinton against Obama in the seemingly never-ending battle for the Democratic nomination.

Change to Win was formed in 2005 when a group of unions, including the Teamsters, SEIU, UNITE HERE, UFCW, the laborers and United Farm Workers, broke away from the AFL-CIO.

From the Change to Win press release, which just announced the move:

In his new post, Lerner will develop and coordinate an unprecedented grassroots mobilization program for the 2008 elections, powered by worker activists from the largest and most politically active unions in the country, representing 6 million members.


Lerner has extensive campaign experience. In 2004, he served as Florida Deputy State Director for America Votes, one of the nation’s leading voter mobilization organizations. In 2002, he oversaw a joint Sierra Club and the Service Employees International Union national, school-based get-out-the-vote effort which mobilized thousands of voters in ten states.

Lerner joined Cuomo's staff last April after a stint at Dan Klores Communications, which has long been allied with Cuomo and is home to John Marino, who served as state Democratic Party chairman under former Gov. Mario Cuomo.

FULL story at link.