EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Golan Cipel, the controversial former aide to New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, has left MWW after barely a month as a VP of public affairs. The Israeli ex-pat has moved into a lobbying position with local government-relations shop State Street Partners.
His brief stint with MWW was characterized by the New Jersey press and sources inside the agency as "unproductive."
"Hiring Golan was a positive experience for MWW," said CEO Michael Kempner, "but in the end I don't believe he was comfortable working in the structure of a large PR firm. With our blessing, he has moved to a smaller firm that will allow him to focus exclusively on those issues that are most important to him."
Originally hired as a homeland security consultant to McGreevey in January, Cipel, 33, caught the media's attention when he was unable to obtain security clearance or provide convincing qualifications for the position. He stepped down in March, but remained on the state payroll at $110,000 a year. Relenting to media pressure, Cipel left the state's workforce in August, resurfacing last month at MWW.
The firm hired Cipel to handle a number of public affairs duties, including its Israeli practice. Kempner said no search would be conducted to replace Cipel.
