Jack Markell Taps Tom McGonigle

As the News Journal reports, Jack Markell has tapped attorney and former Carper staffer Tom McGonigle to serve as his chief of staff, saying of him, "He's really smart, and he knows how to get things done."
Clearly Tom has the background, the brains and the temperament to serve well in his new job. But his work with Bluewater Wind demonstrates an extra dimension to his ability. Remember, Bluewater Wind started out as a long shot. Tom represented Bluewater during the regulatory and legislative phases of its improbable march to success. The process had more cliff-hangers than a Spielberg double feature. Tom was in the middle of the complicated negotiations, conducted in the hothouse environment of Leg Hall, that led to a revised agreement between Bluewater and Delmarva Power.
There are plenty of competent people who have come up through the ranks of state government and never found themselves really challenged. As governor, Tom Carper had to do his share of horse trading to get his way, but he rarely had to fight from behind. But Tom's experience with Bluewater shows he knows how to help win in the face of long odds--experience that will serve him well as Jack Markell takes on the state's worst budget crisis in a generation.