A month after Election Day, a political contest may be raging unbeknownst to most political observers for the New England regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jack Clarke, the director of public policy and government relations for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, told PolitickerMA.com that the post can be highly political and candidates who want the job are likely to already be maneuvering behind the scenes.

"The past appointments have been based on three things: experience in government, political ties and an environmental track record," he said. "You take those three qualifications and then the candidate themselves would run an inside campaign, if you will, for the position working with the local congressional delegation. At least the congressional delegation in the party in which the president is."

The EPA position is one of a handful of appointments President-elect Obama will make in the region. The EPA administrator for the New England region handles environmental policy and implementation for Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Obama will also appoint a regional administrator Small Business Administration to preside over the same states, as well as a U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshall for Massachusetts.

Clarke said he has not heard of any candidates already running a campaign for the EPA post, but that he wouldn't surprised if it were going on. Clarke did say, however, that some the past regional administrators provide some insight as to who potential candidates could be.

President George H.W. Bush selected Mike Deland from the White House's Council on Environmental policy. Deland, Clarke said, had considerable experience in government and working with the administration. President Bill Clinton tapped John DeVillars, who was then Massachusetts' Secretary of Environmental Affairs and had an established track record on the environment. And the current president selected Robert Varney, who was previously New Hampshire's Secretary of Environmental Affairs.

"Varney served in the state where Gov. John Sununu was the former chief of staff to the first President Bush," Clarke noted, "so there were clearly political ties."

The current Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles had been mentioned as a possible head of the entire EPA, not just the region, before Obama settled on Lisa Jackson.

Clarke said, however, that no names jump out to him as possibilities for the regional administrator.

"There are two ways this can be done," Clarke said of the selection process. "One is to give the incoming administrator of the EPA an opportunity to look at resumes and put together her own team. The other is the president-elect or [transition head] John Podesta would come up with a name."

Highly political appointments, Clarke said, has its pluses and minuses.

"With a high political profile appointment there is often more access between the administrator and the White House," Clarke said. "But it does take away a little bit of the oversight of the EPA team by the administrator because of his or her loyalties to the White House."

Obama's designate Jackson was formerly New Jersey's environmental secretary and Gov. Jon Corzine's chief of staff.

Clarke also pointed out that the position will be pivotal to the region. Obama vowed to focus on environmental and energy issues during the campaign, Clarke said, so the New England Regional administrator will play a large role in securing jobs for "greening" the region.

"This position will be a vital link, not only for energy, climate change, and the environment," he said, "but also in assisting in the creation of jobs here in Massachusetts."