Jindal chief of staff leaving the administration
Published 4:07 pm Tuesday, February 18, 2014
BATON ROUGE — Paul Rainwater, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s chief of staff, has announced his resignation.
Rainwater, who also served as commissioner of administration before becoming chief of staff, said he was leaving effective March 3 to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
“It has been an honor to serve the governor,’’ said Rainwater. ‘‘I have the utmost personal and professional respect for Governor Jindal. I believe in the reforms that we have worked so hard on for the past six years. We have built a stronger economy, brought pride back to the state, shrunk the size of government, and held the line on taxes.”
Said Jindal: “Paul is a good friend, and what I admire most about him is his willingness to serve no matter what the position is or what the work entails. It comes from his service in the military and his service to our state and country. He has been here since day one, holding four different positions in the administration, and he has always risen to the occasion no matter what challenge we faced.
‘‘From leading our state through multiple storm recoveries to helping make state government more effective and less expensive for taxpayers, he has approached every job with a servant’s heart. Paul will be missed, but he is leaving the job in good hands.”
The governor has selected Kyle Plotkin, his assistant chief of staff and communications director, to replace Rainwater.
Rainwater joined the Jindal administration in January 2008, when he was named executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. He served as the governor’s authorized representative to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state’s chief hurricane recovery adviser, providing direction and daily oversight of Louisiana’s recovery from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike.
Rainwater also served as the chief administrative officer for the city of Lake Charles from July 2000 to June 2006. A graduate of McNeese State University, Rainwater also served as an administrative aide to the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury from 1988 to 1996.
