Gov. Andrew Cuomo took a pass on making Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown his running mate last fall in favor of another upstater, former Rochster Mayor-turned-LG Bob Duffy.

Now, the governor has tapped Brown’s longtime spokesman Peter Cutler, to serve in his administration, The Buffalo News reports.

Cutler confirmed to YNN that he is indeed leaving the mayor’s office and relocating to Albany, but was coy about his next step. From the News:

“Many political insiders had been speculating that Cutler would leave for a job with the new governor, citing his close ties to the Cuomo family. ”

“Cutler began his career in public service in the 1980s when he worked for then-Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo’s father. He spent five years working for the elder Cuomo, including two years as the governor’s deputy scheduler. Cutler also worked for the state Dormitory Authority during Mario Cuomo’s term.”

Cutler also worked for a time as the spokesman for the Albany International Airport. He has served as Brown’s spokesman for five years and had a similar role in former Mayor Tony Masiello’s administration.

Cutler took a break from public service in 2001 when he left the mayor’s office to become public relations director at the Buffalo office of Eric Mower & Associates. He later worked for Travers Collins & Company, a marketing communications agency.

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