Curious who will be governing New York in 5 years? Take a look at the staffers.
“I think a lot of elected officials, especially those who are term-limited, they’re not ready to let go,” said former state Sen. Diane Savino. “Eight years flies by like that.”
Savino said she saw her former staffer Jessica Scarcella-Spanton as a possible successor long before she left the state Senate, but Scarcella-Spanton took some convincing. “She had built relationships with so many people on both sides of the (Verrazzano) Bridge as my director of operations that it was a natural fit,” Savino said. “You spend a lot of time with each other because you have to … so you get to see which of your staff, if they’re interested, would be able to make that transition.” Savino, who is now a senior adviser in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, said she continues to be in touch with Scarcella-Spanton on a daily basis.