Goodbye Laura Seago, ReformNY will Miss You!

Here at the Brennan Center, we're in mourning over the fact that today is Laura Seago's last with us. She's on her way to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, to pursue a joint PhD in Public Policy and Political Science (no surprise to us that pursuit of a single degree would not be enough for Laura).

Over the past two years, Laura has been the driving force behind this blog, authoring countless posts on all things related to New York and reform, from ethics in government, to campaign finance reform, from voting rights to redistricting and the budget.

In that time, she has also become expert in New York reform issues, co-authoring a report on the State Legislature, as well as a ground breaking law review article on Albany's failure to provide New Yorkers with legislative due process, and testifying at legislative hearings, among many other accomplishments.

Most importantly, as she learned more about New York, Laura became a true believer in the cause of reform, and her enthusiasm and interest inspired all of us to work harder.

No doubt, the loss for the Brennan Center and New York State is the University of Michigan's gain. We are confident that Laura will go on to do many great things. And we are equally confident that her replacement on the blog, John Patrick Travis -- who you'll be hearing more from in the coming days -- will bring his own enthusiasm, intelligence and creativity to stengthen our blog.

For today, however, we'll continue to feel a little sad that Laura will soon be gone. Thanks Laura for all that you have done for us in the last 24 months, and knock 'em dead in Michigan!