A new face in the governor's office

Gov. Charlie Crist is adding a new staffer to his budget shop: Mary Beth Date, wife of S.V. Date, the Palm Beach Post capital bureau chief. Ms. Date starts work around Oct. 1 as an entry level analyst in the Office of Policy and Budget, Crist's office said. She has a degree in business administration and economics from Furman University and will start work at $38,000 a year.

S.V. Date, who writes about Crist extensively, has been the Post capital bureau chief since 1999 and is author of a number of books, including a biography of former Gov. Jeb Bush. Post managing editor Bill Rose said Ms. Date's employment in Crist's office won't present a conflict for Date because "he won't be covering that particular office," the budget unit that deals with health and human services.

-- Steve Bousquet

Comments

Is Crist hoping that will help Shirish get his facts straight?

hmm...a degree in economics.

If Shirish sells 7 books at $2.50 a piece nationwide, at 10 cents profit per book, what is the total profit Shirish takes home?

Any takers?

Shall we call in Donna Arduin to calculate at 10 grand a month?

The idea of hiring someone qualified for the job seems foreign to you guys. Why don't you guys tell Bush of this phenomenon?

I thought there was a hiring freeze on? At least that is the reason given for not hiring replacements for essential personnel at CFS. Oh well, they're just children - and children don't vote or donate to campaigns.

this governor has LOST it.

conflict of interest

I'm not sure which is worse....the conflict of interest on Date's part, or Crist's consistent and shameless pandering.

Next employee to be hired:

James Carville in the Open Government department assigned to House oversight.

This action, on the part of the Governor, totally takes the cake for his stupidest move thus far.

4:56 we've seen a bunch, but i will agree with you!

Charlie, go ahead and flip, already.

At least when Shirish sold out, it was for his wife. I guess the boys are in school now.

Translation: Shirish Date accepts bribe not to write tabloid unauthorized biography on new Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Maybe Date doesn't hate all Republicans anymore. Maybe he will even be courteous to Mrs. Romney next time he sees her.

I'm a former journalist. The Palm Beach Post has no credibility if it does anything short of firing Date. This is an egregious conflict of interest.

This is going to save government staffers alot of time dealing with Date's public records requests of emails. He can just ask Mary Beth every night. Though this may put some of his inside leaks out of business for awhile.

he does not have leaks because he just makes the stuff up

LOL!!!!!!!! 6:16 Snoopy Laugh!!!

Hopefully there will sharing of information that will result in a better administration and in a better news articles.

Two for the price of one !!!!!

Good God Almighty! That's it for me...I am soooooooo over Crist!!!

E

Don't blame Crist. The Post is a large w h o r e.

wow. why is crist trying so hard to be so anti-jeb?

you mean, anti Republican

What is the famous saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
:)>

[Dan Rather]

Yet another masterful political stroke from Charlie, or rather George...and lest we forget, there is a proud tradition with the Capitol corp in this regard...look no further than Bill C's wife.

It is the press with the conflict not EOG...the Gov. is just exploiting the press' painfully obvious venality.

LOL

Cotterell's wife is nowhere near the league of the Date sham. She's a state employee, he admits to it as he writes columns that interest state workers. That being said, The TD should reassign him.

Since when has the media been required to maintain the same ethical standards that they hold public officals to?

looks like the gov office is coming apart at the seams... they think they have it all worked out, but they dont even realize the hole they are digging.

next thing you know they will be hiring steve bosquet as the new speechwriter or press secretary since everyone is jumping ship... can you say titanic....

Entry level analyst within OPB - please spare me. As anyone who works up there knows, these are the governor's closest policy advisors! I don't know which is worse: Mr. Vox Populi's shameless pandering or the above-mentioned journalistic venality.

Crist is Californicating with this state. No wonder Florida Republicans now feel like Ally Mcbeal the morning after a one-night stand.

I think the world benefits when journalists act like real people who have lives rather than some puritanical priesthood.

[ItFigures]

Are you kidding me? I am sure Mrs. Date is a perfectly fine person, but her husband is a tabloid journalist!

[Marcella Karl]

New face in Governor's office--what a let down--I thought it was a new face instead of Charlie

That being said, The TD should reassign him.

Posted by: | September 15, 2007 at 08:25 AM
===============================

Only if the Tallahassee Democrat leadership were stupid.

"...her husband is a fine journalist!"

Posted by: ItFigures | September 15, 2007 at 02:01 PM

[Editorial correction made]

Date's wife has sh*t for taste in a picking a husband.

Why do you state such?

12:07 PM

You were being sarcastic, right? I don't think Charlie knows where OPB is.

[J.S.]

"Post managing editor Bill Rose said Ms. Date's employment in Crist's office won't present a conflict for Date because "he won't be covering that particular office," the budget unit that deals with health and human services."

Ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!!