There’ve been some personnel changes in Iowa’s political community. Governor Tom Vilsack’s press secretary is taking a leave of absence to work on Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean’s campaign. On Thursday, October 9th, Matt Paul, a native of Cedar Rapids, will become Dean’s deputy state director, overseeing the campaign’s political department and scheduling. Paul was an executive assistant to two Cedar Rapids’ mayors before joining Vilsack’s staff five years ago. Paul is the second of Vilsack’s communications staff to leave for a presidential campaign. John Lapp, who was also Vilsack’s 2002 campaign manager, left in January to head Dick Gephardt’s Iowa effort. And Vilsack’s 2002 campaign spokesman — Joe Householder — is now working for New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Householder is the former First Lady’s communications director.
