N.J. Community Affairs chief to leave Christie Cabinet

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s commissioner of Community Affairs is leaving his Cabinet.

Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Lori Grifa said she will resign to return to private law practice.

Grifa said she’s proud of the relationship she developed with local government.

“We were able to redefine how local government serves its taxpayers and change the dialogue and the language of how government service is provided and how it ought to be paid for,” she said.

Christie said Monday he will nominate deputy Labor Commissioner Richard Constable to replace her.

As Grifa prepares to leave, the governor said he has asked the rest of his Cabinet who intends to stay and who would like to leave. He wants their answers by the end of the year.

“I didn’t want a lot of upheaval in the last year or so of the first term,” Christie said. “It just turns out to be very difficult then, I think, to get people to fill in for those jobs when there’s the uncertainty of whether I’ll seek re-election and, if I do, whether I’m re-elected or not.”

Christie said he does not anticipate many other Cabinet changes, adding there may be one or two more.