McGreevey said he and McCormac took over the Middlesex County township when it was in a "financial abyss." He said McCormac's skills would be invaluable as the state confronted a growing budget deficit.
"John's leadership as state treasurer will be critical as we work to ensure fiscal responsibility in the midst of a shortfall upwards of $1.9 billion," McGreevey said. "This will be no easy task, but there is no one more up to the task than John McCormac."
Later yesterday, the shortfall was revised up to $2.4 billion.
Campbell, 40, a Philadelphia native, worked in the Clinton administration, where he implemented the president's initiative on converting abandoned urban industrial sites, known as brownfields, into business sites.
As a member of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, he negotiated Superfund issues with Congress and led a push for reforms in hazardous-waste laws.
As an EPA regional director from 1999 to 2001, Campbell tackled lead contamination in Philadelphia schools and led an effort to better protect the Chesapeake Bay.
Environmental groups praised his appointment.
"We applaud the governor for making a clear break from the failed policies of the Whitman administration," said David Pringle, campaign director for New Jersey Environmental Federation.
Former Gov. Christie Whitman, now the EPA administrator, was criticized by environmentalists for being too cozy with the business community. In her first term, she slashed the Department of Environmental Protection's budget and reduced regulations.
Campbell will "be very good," said Jeff Tittel, executive director of the state chapter of the Sierra Club. "He's got a good background in brownfields and parks enforcement, and he's very good at working with different people."
Both nominations require Senate confirmation.
Suzette Parmley's e-mail address is sparmley@phillynews.com.
