Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Andrew Cuomo’s campaign just announced the hiring of longtime Queens operative Patrick Jenkins as deputy campaign manager.

“Patrick Jenkins is one of the top political strategists and activists in the state and we are extremely pleased to bring him on board,” said Cuomo.

“Patrick’s energy and intellect will be invaluable in our effort to build a broad citizens coalition for reform.”

By my count, there are now at least two people on Cuomo’s campaign with Spitzer connections.

The other is the former governor’s ex-Budget Director/State Operations Director Paul Francis, who has been advising the AG on policy matters behind the scenes.

Jenkins is also the second person with ties to Cuomo’s 2002 primary opponent, ex-state Comptroller H. Carll McCall, to be hired by the AG’s campaign. The other is Marissa Shorenstein, who recently joined Team Cuomo and is perhaps best known for her stint in Gov. David Paterson’s press shop, which she quit in the wake of the David Johnson domestic violence scandal.

The press release touts Jenkins as someone with “over a dozen years of experience in local and national politics, government administration and public policy” and also makes mention of his two consulting firms: Patrick B. Jenkins and Associates (opened in 2008) and Distinctive Public Affairs (co-founded with MarySol Rodriguez).

There are no specifics about Jenkins current clients (he’s a close friend and advisor to Bronx Democratic Chairman Carl Heastie) or his past political involvement, which includes former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s 2006 campaign (he was deputy campaign manager there, too).

Jenkins got his start in politics as an executive assistant to then-city Comptroller Alan Hevesi, worked as the New York chief of staff for Rep. Greg Meeks, was the political director McCall’s gubernatorial bid, worked on Freddy Ferrer’s 2005 mayoral campaign.

No surprise that Cuomo’s campaign is choosing not to mention Hevesi and Spitzer, both of whom were ousted from office due to scandals, or Meeks, who is the subject of a current scandal – not exactly the sort of stuff the reform candidate wants to highlight.

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