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Gov. Chris Christie's former associate counsel, who also worked with him in private practice, was named the top ethics cop in Trenton on Tuesday, raising the possibility that a Christie insider could be investigating allegations of scandal in the office where she used to work.

(Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger)

TRENTON — A former lawyer for Gov. Chris Christie has been installed as executive director of the state's ethics watchdog agency as his top aides face a series of allegations that they abused their power for political purposes.

As a result, Susana E. Guerrero, an in-house lawyer for the Republican governor from 2010 to 2012, will oversee the investigations of any ethics complaints or potential conflicts of interest concerning her former colleagues. She was appointed Tuesday.

The appointment led one former Democratic governor to question whether Guerrero should be the top ethics cop in Trenton, potentially investigating the same people she worked with for years.

Guerrero, 41, began her career at the law firm Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci, working with one of Christie's closest political advisers, Bill Palatucci, then a partner at the firm, and briefly crossed paths with Christie while he was a lobbyist there in the early 2000s. Most recently, she was a top deputy to state Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf.

State lawmakers, U.S. senators and the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, are all investigating what role Christie aides and associates played in closing access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in September, causing a huge traffic jam in Fort Lee that many Democrats say was political payback for the borough's mayor.

Separately, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer has alleged that Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and two other members of Christie's cabinet pressured her to approve a real estate development in exchange for Hurricane Sandy relief funds.

Andrew S. Berns, a Republican lawyer appointed by Christie as chairman of the Ethics Commission, said five of the seven commissioners met Tuesday and approved Guerrero unanimously after reviewing her resume and qualifications.

Berns said the commissioners did not debate whether her close ties to the administration or past work with Christie in private practice should disqualify her from the position.

"She's extremely well qualified and it wasn't a concern of ours," Berns said. "It's just not something that we consider. The people are very committed to evaluating each case on a case-by-case basis."

While the governor has the power to appoint all the commissioners to the independent ethics agency, Christie's predecessors refrained from recommending executive directors.

Berns said since he became chairman in 2010, the commission has appointed two directors recommended by the governor's office.

The previous one, Peter Tober, was also an in-house lawyer for Christie before he took the ethics job, Berns said. Tober left this month after winning confirmation to a state Superior Court judgeship.

"I would say that he was qualified, objective and handled the office as well as I could have expected," Berns said of Tober. "I have never noticed one way or the other any political bent. I assume that if complaints come to us, they will be dealt with in the same way."

But state Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), who toughened New Jersey's ethics laws as governor after the resignation of Gov. Jim McGreevey, said Christie's office should not be recommending candidates to lead independent agencies such as the Ethics Commission. Before Christie, the commissioners themselves would find and interview candidates for the top job.

"You want someone who is independent of politics," said Codey. "I'm not criticizng the person, but it sends the wrong signal."

Records show Guerrero is a registered Democrat.

A spokesman for Christie, Kevin Roberts, defended the selection.

"Ms. Guerrero is widely respected across state government as a legal professional and public servant," Roberts said in an email today. "She was not only nominated by a Democrat, but received a unanimous vote of approval by the bipartisan membership of the Ethics Commission."

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