New Jersey CTO quits post

Charles "Steve" Dawson has resigned his position as New Jersey Chief Technology Officer, a spokesman for Gov. Jon Corzine's office confirmed today.

Dawson submitted a letter of resignation to Corzine last week. After taking office in January, Corzine asked for the resignations of all political appointees. Corzine spokesman Brendan Gilfillan described Dawson's resignation as "mutually agreed upon."

Adel Ebeid, an 18-year state employee and a former Office of Information Technology deputy, has been appointed interim CTO. Dawson could not be reached for comment.

Dawson's resignation comes during a review launched by the governor into the Office of Information Technology's spending, according to a report published in the New Jersey newspaper, The Star-Ledger. The review followed harsh criticism from state lawmakers over the CTO's lack of oversight into how the state spends $500 million a year on its computer systems.

Dawson, who was hired as CTO in 2002, earned $120,000 a year in his position, The Star-Ledger reported.