From Deseret News archives:

Chief of staff for Curtis is a good idea

Published: Saturday, June 11, 2005 5:58 p.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Webb: Utah House Speaker Greg Curtis intends to hire a chief of staff. That's right, a chief of staff. This move may not sound like a big deal, but it actually is. It signals a new era in legislative management, and a higher degree of partisan professionalism in the Utah Legislature.

It is also, I believe, a very good idea.

It makes sense because Utah's top legislative leaders, particularly the House speaker and Senate president, are essentially part-time elected officials who have more than full-time jobs. They need help.

The demands on the House speaker are enormous. Nearly everyone dealing with a major state issue wants to meet with him. He receives more speaking and appearance invitations than he can possibly deal with, and still earn a living for his family.

Most people who want to meet with the governor also want, at some point, to meet with the speaker. The difference is, the governor doesn't meet with them all. The governor can delegate meetings, speeches and other appearances to the lieutenant governor, his chief of staff, and any one of a number of department directors.

All of those people have high status and clout, and the direct ear of the governor. They can satisfactorily represent him in a variety of venues. You can meet, for example, with Jason Chaffetz, Gov. Jon Huntsman's chief of staff, and feel you've been heard by someone with enough power to get things done.

Story continues below
Meanwhile, the speaker also has heavy demands, but he lacks any senior-level help in dealing with the crush. He has no one with senior status to represent him, to meet with people he can't meet with, to represent him at events or deliver a speech. He can ask other legislative leaders for help, but they are also part-time and scattered across the state.

Therefore, Curtis plans to hire a capable person at an attractive salary, give that person the title of the speaker's chief of staff, and let it be known that the chief of staff is his alter ego, has his ear and can get things done on the speaker's behalf. With a real chief of staff, the office of speaker will be more accessible to more people.

The organizational structure of the House will also benefit. Presently, the chief clerk and office administrator both report directly to Curtis. Under the new structure, they and all other House employees will report to the chief of staff. The non-partisan professional offices of legislative research and fiscal analyst will not report to the chief of staff, but will continue to report to the Legislative Management Committee.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

Baseball player on mission in Wash.

Carroll is doing well playing professionally in Europe. And I wasn't saying...

Since Max is a mediocre college QB he will definitely not make it in the NFL...

This is not good news for Iraq and our troops. I hope reason prevails, and...

I love howw you Ute fans are focusing on Max Hals comments, as if they matter...

The person who said Utah is the most obese state in the nation hasn't spent...

My parents met at BYU, I grew up a huge BYU fan. It was the BYU fan base and...

I think Max Hall will watch the upcoming bowl game on television.

This is a sad commentary on BYU football. Sure there are drunk and...

Hall mouths off about hate of Utah

just a hatred towards Utah. It's more of a hatred for anything not Mormon and...

Editorial: Food is not the enemy

Sorry, Utah is not even close to being the fattest state. It's Mississippi....

Advertisements