The Observer Media Group today announced that it has hired James Pindell of The Boston Globe to serve as National Managing Editor of Politicker.com. The Politicker.com portfolio currently includes eight state political websites across the country including New Jersey, Nevada, Maine, Oregon, Maryland, Arizona, Vermont and Colorado. Politcker.com - dubbed as "Inside Politics for Political Insiders" - will add four additional websites by February 1st including Washington, Kentucky and New Hampshire.

Pindell leaves his post as a political reporter and blogger with the Globe to head the Observer Media Group's growing online political reporting team. He will oversee an initial staff of eleven reporters across the country and establish a Washington, D.C. office for Politicker.com. In addition, Pindell will write a weekly national political column called "The Pindell Politicker Report" that will appear on each of the Politicker.com sites. Pindell will begin his duties as National Managing Editor on January 12th.

"James' jump to Politicker.com is a move towards the future of media - quick, relevant, local content with expert analysis and a unique voice," said Observer Media Group publisher Jared Kushner. "In today's media environment, you not only have to be first, but you have to be right. James is a fresh voice and an emerging powerhouse in political reporting. Throughout his career, he has proven himself to be a first-class reporter. He's known for breaking stories both large and small and finding the nugget of information that brings politics and its players to life. James will be a tremendous asset to the Politicker.com brand as we grow over the next year."

In past six months, the Observer Media Group has significantly expanded its online political reporting presence through Politicker.com. To date, Politicker.com has launched websites in eight states. Each website has its own domain name in the form of Politicker(state).com, with an anonymous editor and one to two reporters.

Politicker.com websites are modeled after PolitickerNJ.com (formerly PoliticsNJ.com), the highly successful website that set the standard as a must-read source of local political news in New Jersey since February 2000. Like PolitickerNJ.com, each site features a regular column from a veteran of that state's political scene who writes daily under the name of Wally Edge, a pseudonym. Each Politicker.com website is devoted to covering politics at all levels - from local municipal issues to statewide and national races.

"All politics is local and the Politicker.com model has taken that mantra to a new level," said Pindell. "Politicker.com makes politics and the political process accessible to people from all walks of life. It's the equalizer that allows anyone to get the ‘inside baseball' on the business of government and how politics gets done. I'm excited to join this growing organization and look forward to the challenges of growing the Politicker.com brand nationwide."

While at The Boston Globe, Pindell served as the primary writer and reporter for the Globe's "The Primary Source" blog. He also provides regular political analysis for New Hampshire and national television and radio stations almost daily.

Prior to joining the Globe, Pindell successfully ran PoliticsNH.com, a New Hampshire political news website. During his tenure at the helm of PoliticsNH.com from 2000 to 2006, The Washington Post dubbed him the "Insider's Insider" for his thorough coverage of state politics and New Hampshire's role as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Pindell also previously penned a monthly column for Campaigns and Elections Magazine and has served as an adjunct professor at New England College in Henniker, N.H.

Prior to his work in New Hampshire, Pindell covered 2000 Iowa Caucuses as a reporter for the Des Moines Register working for David Yepsen and also served as the statehouse bureau chief for the Morgantown (W.Va.) Dominion Post. He is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.

Politicker.com websites are not affiliated with any political party or ideological agenda.