Daniel Hogan, the state's commissioner of the Office of General Services, has been nominated to become the agency's new chairman. He would replace Cheryl Ricthko-Buley, who has been nominated to join the state Public Service Commission.

John Simoni, an upstate businessman and friend of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, was nominated to fill a vacant seat on the board. Simoni has been involved in Saratoga County GOP politics and serves as chairman of the county's Industrial Development Agency. He is president of an office furniture company.

The Senate racing committee approved the appointments of Hogan and Simoni June 22 and the full Senate confirmation came later in the day.

Bruno has been pushing Simoni for the agency's chairmanship for more than a year. Pataki, meanwhile, first wanted his parks commissioner, Bernadette Castro, to lead the agency. With Bruno's refusing to allow his Senate to confirm Castro and Pataki's refusal to name Simoni as chairman, the two Republican leaders remained at impasse. The dispute ended with Hogan being tapped just as the state Legislature was winding down its 2006 session.

With Pataki leaving office at the end of the year, he has been rewarding allies with posts that have expiration terms beyond this year. In Hogan's case, the job carries a six-year term. It pays $120,800 annually.

Simoni will be paid $101,600. His term expires in 2010.