Before Lilliam Barrios-Paoli was shuffled out as HRA commish and packed off to manage a Bronx hospital, the buzz was she would edge out Ninfa Segarra as deputy mayor for education and human services.

Now that her fate is sealed, the first contestants have popped up to occupy her still-warm hot seat: Ilene Marcus, who in a past life co-chaired the progressive Welfare Reform Network and wrote policy at HRA, was born again a few years ago as special assistant to the mayor to help draft the city’s welfare reform plan. Meanwhile, Bill Carnevale, head of the mayor’s Office of Operations and a former HRA employee, reportedly yearns to be commissioner.

In other Giuliani II re-shufflings: Elizabeth Cucchiaro, who serves under Carnevale as deputy director and helps pen the Mayor’s Management Report, will be managing affairs at the Administration for Children’s Services when she takes over contracts, budget and personnel duties from still-employed Linda Gibbs, deputy commissioner for management and administration.

And last week the mayor called the nurse’s office to find a director of his Office of AIDS Policy. Errol A. Chin-Loy, former deputy of clinical affairs and nursing at the Health and Hospitals Corporation, will take over where departed Ronald Johnson left off.