Staff writer
Several national publications have recently noted the addition of Michael Glassner to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s team of expert advisers.
Glassner is head of vice presidential operations. He oversees Palin’s schedule, travel, and communications. He was actually coordinating elements of the campaign for the candidate before one was even chosen.
He joined the McCain camp several months ago, according to an introductory write-up about Glassner in the New Jersey Star-Ledger in August. The Sept. 29 issue of the Wall Street Journal also carried a brief mention of Glassner’s job saying, “The McCain campaign has assigned several … well-regarded advisers … including Michael Glassner who has worked for former Senator Bob Dole …”
Glassner, who lives in Jersey City, N.J., also was an alternate New Jersey delegate to the GOP convention.
Local residents became accustomed to seeing Glassner on television with the Bob Dole presidential campaign in 1996. By that time Glassner had served as his personal assistant for 10 years.
A 1996 New York Times story about Glassner’s presence in so many “crowd shots” taken of Dole during his presidential campaign noted, “American politics is kept running by people like Glassner, handlers-on-overdrive whose job is mundane yet crucial: to anticipate candidates’ every need and get them where they have to be.”
Glassner lived in Peabody for a number of years during the 1970s and attended Peabody schools. He and his older brother, David, were in grade school when their mother died and they came to Peabody to live with their sister and her husband, Linda and Tom Temple.
David graduated from Peabody High School in 1978, when Mike was a freshman. At the end of his sophomore year, the family moved to Oklahoma City and Michael finished his high school years there.
Glassner, now 45 years old, is married and the father of two children. He lives in Wichita and makes occasional trips back to Peabody. Tom and Linda Temple continue to reside in Oklahoma.