2 people to keep an eye on at dawn of 'New Day'

Well, it is a New Day, as a certain new governor likes to say. So we thought we'd kick off the new year by writing about two people in key roles who might not be well known to a lot of readers but who are worth watching in 2005.

Webb: Jason Chaffetz has had a meteoric rise in Utah politics. At age 37 and with relatively little government or political experience (he dabbled in politics in college, helping the Michael Dukakis campaign), he commands one of the most powerful positions in the state as Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s chief of staff.

Chaffetz is a real-life testament to the fact that great opportunities still exist in politics for capable people who are willing to step up, work hard and prove themselves. He had no relationship at all with Huntsman when he decided he wanted to work for the campaign in late 2003. So he did a "cold call," actually 10 or 12 of them before anyone took him seriously. His persistence paid off, and he eventually became communications director.

The fact that he didn't come with a political agenda or any baggage as a lobbyist or insider probably helped him with Huntsman, along with having "a pretty tenacious work ethic." A little later, when the campaign manager had to resign for health reasons, Huntsman told Chaffetz: "You're the campaign manager."

So Huntsman clearly knew what he was getting when he asked Chaffetz to be his chief of staff after the election. You don't spend hundreds of hours driving the state together, dealing with all sorts of tense and stressful situations, working 15-hour days, without getting to know someone pretty well, warts and all.

Chaffetz said he's never had such a good relationship with a boss or colleague as with Huntsman, on both professional and personal levels. They understand each other, and their personalities match on everything from humor to personal values. People find it hard to believe, Chaffetz said, but Huntsman really is a humble person who wants to build others and help them succeed.

The chief of staff knows who's the boss. "He makes the final decisions. My job is to make sure he has all the facts and understands all sides." Chaffetz said he can "close the door and tell him when I think he's wrong" — handled in the right way, of course. "Sometimes he agrees with me. Sometimes he doesn't." Chaffetz said the two established open, honest and frank communications when Chaffetz told Huntsman after one of the first debates that his close was terrible. "That I was willing to tell him exactly what I thought earned me a lot of points."