Former Lt. Gov. McKeachnie named rural affairs coordinator

Former Lt. Gov. Gayle McKeachnie has a new role in state government as rural affairs coordinator for the new administration.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. named McKeachnie to the newly created post Friday, at the end of his first week in office. McKeachnie had been appointed to serve as lieutenant governor in November 2003.

He had been expected to leave state government after former Gov. Olene Walker, who assumed the state's top spot when former Gov. Mike Leavitt resigned to join the Bush Administration, lost her bid to win the GOP nomination, which eventually went to Huntsman.

McKeachnie said he will deal with a variety of issues in his new role. "There aren't too many issues that are just rural," he said during the first meeting of Huntsman's new cabinet. "But there's a rural perspective on almost anything."

Huntsman said McKeachnie's experience "speaks for itself and will provide invaluable continuity in areas that are vital to rural Utah including economic development, land use and energy issues."

McKeachnie, who lives in Vernal, also served four terms as a state representative. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1970.