When asked at the NJTV Debate what post she wants in a Phil Murphy Administration, Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-34) wouldn’t say, but a source told InsiderNJ that a likely drop-zone for Phil Murphy’s lieutenant governor candidate is the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).

The post of lieutenant governor doesn’t come with a paycheck.  So the governor appoints the LG to head up a cabinet and collect an accompanying salary.

The relatively easy post of Secretary of State allowed Republican gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno to roll up her sleeves on the rubber chicken circuit as Governor Chris Christie frequently criss-crossed the country in an ultimately failed bid to be the next president.

Murphy and Oliver appear to have no easy task of simply mowing down Guadagno and her running mate Woodcliff Lakes Mayor Carlos Rendo next month. But a Trenton source told InsiderNJ that increasingly the buzz around Oliver – should she and Murphy be successful on Nov. 7th – is for her to take the coveted – and difficult – difficult job of DCA commissioner.

That’s the role that many insiders thought Speaker Vinny Prieto (D-32) would have nailed down had Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop landed the governorship.

Now Oliver is said to see that as her optimal responsibility in Murphy World. If true, it would prove a considerable asset to Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo and Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman Leroy Jones, whose close East Orange ally would be in prime position to assist the municipalities in her home county of Essex. Divincenzo for seven years relied on his close cross-the-aisle relationship to Christie for a leg up on state funds.