ICYM the second item in my DN column this morning: Senate Democratic Conference leader John Sampson is shaking up his leadership team with a new communications director.

Errol Cockfield, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. spokesman, will join Sampson’s staff next month, Senate sources confirmed.

Cockfield, a former Newsday Capitol bureau chief, has worked as a spokesman for Gov. David Paterson and ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer. He’ll be remaining at his current post through Sept. 11 at the request of his boss, Avi Schick, so he can help coordinate the annual memorial ceremony on the anniversary of the Twin Towers attacks.

Current communications director Paul Rivera is staying on, but he’s likely moving into a more limited chief of staff-type role, although there are two people with that title at the moment in Sampson’s camp: Michelle Trotman, whose name appeared in a recent Times story on the leader’s representation of a shady Queens real estate broker, Edul Ahmad; and Michael Cohen, who I’m told runs things in the senator’s Brooklyn district.

Cockfield is being brought on to do big picture communications work at a time when that sort of thing has fallen through the cracks for the Senate Democrats.

Press Secretary Austin Shafran, who is also staying on, will focus on his strength – in the trenches warfare with reporters – while things like editorial boards and message strategy will be handled by Cockfield.

Sampson also brought on veteran spokesman Matthew Hiltzik to handle press for his personal campaign committee.

The leader has been under fire of late with a spate of not-so-fabulous stories (the AEG investigation, his relationship with Ahmad, who is at the center of the Rep. Greg Meeks loan scandal etc.) and could use the extra help in the spin department.

In addition, I’m told the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee is close to inking a deal with adman Jimmy Siegel, who got his start on Spitzer’s 2006 campaign for governor, as the Dems continue to ramp up their political efforts in preparation for the fall fight to retain the majority.

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