Jindal sees some staff shakeups as he heads into second term

Gov. Bobby Jindal announced today that Chief of Staff Timmy Teepell is leaving the administration immediately to become a Baton Rouge-based partner in the Alexandria, Va., media and political consulting firm On Message Inc. Stephen Waguespack, who has held various prominent roles in the administration, will take over as chief of staff. Melissa Sellers, Jindal’s communications director, is leaving Dec. 1 to study at Dallas Theological Seminary. Press secretary Kyle Plotkin will take over the job. Jindal says he expects to announce more staff changes in the weeks ahead. When asked if he expected any cabinet secretaries to leave, Jindal said he would speak with each secretary one at a time before possibly announcing any changes. Teepell has been Jindal’s top aide and political adviser both in Congress and as governor, and has overseen Jindal’s GOP Victory Fund. The principals of On Message have worked for Jindal in all of his elections, and Jindal expects Teepell will continue to work with the administration as a political consultant. Jindal says his landslide victory Saturday shows Louisiana voters are generally pleased with the direction of the state, even if they might disagree with their governor on certain issues. Jindal says 87 candidates he endorsed, including those running unopposed, were successful, while only eight he supported lost their elections. K-12 education will be the top policy priority of his second term, he says, and helping Chas Roemer win reelection to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is his team’s top political priority in the Nov. 19 runoff election. —David Jacobs