ALBANY #- Gov. David Paterson is appointing a new secretary to the governor, another step in an ongoing shake-up in the state's executive office.

Paterson appointed First Deputy Secretary Lawrence Schwartz to the position Wednesday, and accepted the resignation of Secretary to the Governor William Cunningham III.

Cunningham's resignation is effective immediately, but he'll continue serving as a senior advisor during the transition.

Schwartz formerly served as Deputy County Executive for Westchester County.

He was also a senior vice president for the consulting firm M&R Strategic Services.

His salary will be $178,000. The appointment doesn't require Senate confirmation.

The change follows a few other shake-ups in the administration. Paterson's former political consulting firm, Global Strategy Group, announced Tuesday that it's ending its relationship with the governor.

Paterson also named Peter Kauffmann as his new communications director Wednesday, who is replacing Risa Heller, a former Global employee.

Kauffmann is currently a vice president at The Glover Park Group, specializing in public affairs and campaign management. Most recently, he served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy for five years.

He also was a press secretary for former Sen. Hillary Clinton, and a deputy press secretary at the Democratic National Committee.

Kauffmann starts March 23 and will make $175,000 in an appointment that doesn't require Senate confirmation.

Paterson now says he will have a new team in place in March.

He is also bringing back his former chief of staff, Charles O'Byrne, to a leadership role in his 2010 campaign.