Ehrlich's Closest Aide Now Has The Title

Largely because of his political background, DiPaula was greeted skeptically by Democratic lawmakers who sit on the General Assembly's budget committees.

The same legislators, although certainly not in agreement with all that DiPaula advocates, say they have come to respect his hard work, responsiveness and now-intimate knowledge of the state's $26 billion budget.

Still, there are times when his political roots show, said Sen. P.J. Hogan (D-Montgomery), vice chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.

As an example, Hogan offered legislators' dispute with the administration over whether it must fund offices that help enforce wage laws. It is difficult to know whether DiPaula resisted the legislators' position on its merits or because of political considerations involving labor unions, Hogan said.

Because of his close relationship with Ehrlich, DiPaula's duties extended well beyond those of past budget secretaries.

During the last legislative session, he was the administration's most visible lobbyist for the legalization of slot machine gambling, and he got involved in the controversial debate over state funding of embryonic stem cell research.

DiPaula also was among a handful of aides who regularly joined the governor in a series of meetings at the mansion with lawmakers.

Because of that, some legislators suggested last week that the biggest change associated with DiPaula's new job might be merely the location of his office.

"I talked to him probably every day during the session . . . to have someone to yell at or to ask for a change in something," Miller said. "He was the chief of staff the past few years, except for the name."