Quispe picked for top Murphy staff post

Gov. Phil Murphy has named Emy Quispe,  one of the stars of his 2021 re-election campaign, to serve as his new director of legislative affairs.

Quispe will replace Paulina Banasiak, who is departing the administration on March 18.  She will report to deputy chief of staff Justin Braz.

Sofia Dolashewich has been promoted to senior legislative aide on Braz’s team.   She worked for Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-Edison) before joining Murphy’s staff last year.

Prior to joining the governor’s office, Quispe served as deputy director for Latino & Faith Outreach for the Murphy/Oliver campaign, as the New Jersey political coordinator for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, and as an aide to Assembly Majority Conference Leader Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth).

Quispe emigrated from Peru at age six and is a longtime Elizabeth resident.  She was one of the New Jersey Globe’s top political operatives of 2021.

Banasiak served as acting deputy chief of staff to Gov. Phil Murphy while Braz left to work on the re-election campaign.  A former chief of staff to Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Jersey City) and as legislative director for Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Englewood), Banasiak has worked for Murphy since 2018.