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.

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.

This is actually a big change and it reflects the growing need for sophistication and professionalism in the legislative branch. If we want our Legislature to remain part-time, we need to give lawmakers the tools they need to do the job so they can have lives outside of politics. This move makes sense on a lot of levels.