He hasn’t been sworn in yet, but already Gov.-elect Charlie Crist has made a major comeback. As soon as the pricey-gala news had hit the populist fan, he admitted it was a dumb idea. Not good for a kinder-gentler Republican hybrid.
And then he hits one out of the park with the appointment of Bob Butterworth, the well-regarded — and Democratic — former Attorney General, to run the Department of Children & Families. DCF has become synonymous with failure and re-abuse and its leaders relegated to a revolving-door tenure.
Butterworth, who has history with DCF, is a proven leader who works both sides of the political aisle.
Gubernatorial rhetoric – from open government to preparations for a post-Castro Cuba – comes easily. Especially when the job is not yet yours. But the Butterworth appointment was a concrete sign that “the people’s governor” might be more than a campaign slogan.