Dan Salomone, commissioner of revenue

Gov. Pawlenty picked a longtime tax policy analyst to serve as commissioner of the state Department of Revenue. Dan Salomone will serve a key role as the new administration wrestles with a $4.5 billion state budget shortfall. Salomone has been executive director of the Minnesota Taxpayers League since 1991 and was a state Senate and revenue department researcher for 14 years before that.